^ma^ 


^yrfp^/Z 


THE  DESERT  HOME 


ox  TH* 


ADVENTURES  OF  A  LOST  FAMILY 
IN  THE  WILDERNESS 


,  ? !' 

BT 

9      *   ji 

CAPTAIN 

MAYNE 

REID 

«aTBua  OF  '^THE  BOY  HDNTKRa."  "  AFLOAT  IN  THa  FOK£ST/' 


CHICAGO: 

>\I.  A.  DoNOHUE  &  Co. 

407-429  Dearborn  St. 


^^r 


<V».  A.    DONOH  U  E   5c   COMPANY 

PRINTERS    AND    BINDERS 

*07.429    DEARBORN    STREET 

CH  ICAGO 


,  K7J.  J.,7 

ml 

^  '    CHAPTER  I. 

THE  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT. 

There  is  a  great  desert  in  the  interior  of  North  America. 
It  is  almost  as  large  as  tlie  famous  Saara  of  Africa.  It  is 
fifteen  hundred  miles  long,  and  a  thousand  wide.  Now,  if  it 
were  a  legular  shape, — that  is  to  say,  a  parallelogram, — you 
could  at  once  compute  its  area,  by  multiplying  the  length 
upon  the  breadth ;  and  you  would  obtain  one  million  and  a 
half  for  the  result — one  million  and  a  half  of  square  miles. 
But  its  outlines  are  as  yet  very  imperfectly  known ;  and 
although  it  is  fully  fifteen  hundred  miles  long,  and  in  some 
places  a  thousand  in  breadth,  its  surface  extent  is  probably  not 
over  one  million  of  square  miles,  or  twenty-five  times  the  size 
of  England.  Fancy  a  desert  twenty-five  times  as  big  as  all 
England  !  Do  you  not  think  that  it  has  received  a  most 
appropriate  name,  when  it  is  called  the  Great  American 
Desert  ? 

Now,  my  young  friend,  what  do  you  understand  by  a 
desert  ?  I  think  I  can  guess.  When  you  read  or  hear  of  a 
desert,  you  think  of  a  vast  level  plain,  covered  with  sand, 
and  without  trees,  or  grass,  or  any  kind  of  vegetation.  You 
think,  also,  of  this  sand  being  blown  about  in  thick,  yellow 
clouds,  and  no  water  to  be  seen  in  any  direction.  This  is 
your  idea  of  a  desert ;  is  it  not  ?  Well,  it  is  not  altogether 
the  correct  one.  It  is  true  that  in  almost  every  desert  there 
are  these  sandy  plains,  yet  there  are  other  parts  of  its  surface  of 
a  far  different  character,  equally  deserving  the  name  of  desert. 
Although  the  interior  of  the  great  Saara  has  not  yet  been 
fully  explored,  enough  is  known  of  it  to  prove  that  it  contains 
large  tracts  of  mountainous  and  hilly  country,  with  rocks  and 
valleys,  lakes,  rivers,  and  springs.     There  are,  also,  fertile 


r% 


912936 


lO  THE    DESERr    HOME. 

spots,  at  wide  distances  from  each  other,  covered  with  trees, 
and  shrubs,  and  beautiful  vegetation.  Some  of  these  spots 
are  small,  while  others  are  ot  large  extent,  and  inhabited  by 
independent  tribes,  and  even  whole  kingdoms  of  people.  A 
fertile  tract  of  this  kind  is  called  an  oasis ;  and,  by  looking 
at  your  map,  you  \\|ill  perceive  that  there  are  many  oases  in 
the  Saara  of  Africa. 

Of  a  similar  character  is  the  Great  American  Desert ;  but 
its  surface  is  still  more  varied  with  what  may  be  termed 
"geographical  features."  There  are  plains — some  of  them 
more  than  a  hundred  miles  wide — where  you  can  see  nothing 
but  white  sand,  often  drifting  about  on  the  wind,  and  here 
and  there  thrown  into  long  ridges  such  as  those  made  by  a 
snowstorm.  There  are  other  plains,  equally  large,  where  no 
sand  appears,  but  brown  barren  earth,  utterly  destitute  of 
vegetation.  There  are  others,  again,  on  which  grows  a 
stunted  shrub,  with  leaves  of  a  pale  silvery  color.  In  some 
places  it  grows  so  thickly,  interlocking  its  twisted  and  knotty 
branches,  that  a  horseman  can  hardly  ride  through  among 
them.  This  shrub  is  the  arfemisia, — a  species  of  wild  sage 
or  wormwood, — and  the  plains  upon  which  it  grovvs  are  called 
by  the  hunters  who  cross  them  the  sage  prah-ies.  Other 
plains  are  met  with  that  present  a  black  aspect  to  the  traveler. 
These  are  covered  with  lava,  that  at  jome  distant  period  of 
time  has  been  vomited  forth  from  volcanic  mountains,  and 
now  lies  frozen  up,  and  broken  into  small  fragments  like  the 
stones  upon  a  new-made  road.  Still  other  plains  present 
themselves  in  the  American  Desert.  Some  are  white,  as  if 
snow  had  fallen  freshly  upon  them,  and  yet  it  is  not  snow, 
but  salt!  Yes;  pure  white  salt — covering  the  ground  six- 
inches  deep,  and  for  fifty  miles,  in  every  direction  1  Others, 
again,  have  a  similar  appearance ;  but  instead  of  salt,  you 
find  the  substance  which  covers  them  to  be  soda — a  beautiful 
efflorescence  of  soda ! 

There  are  mountains,  too — indeed,  one  half  of  the  desert 
is  very  mountainous;  and  the  great  chain  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains — of  which  you  have  no  doubt  heard — runs  sheer 


THE    DESERT    Hv-^ME.  H 

through  it  from  north  to  south,  and  divides  it  into  two  nearly 
equal  parts.  But  there  are  other  mountains  besides  these  ; 
mountains  of  every  height,  and  sometimes  in  their  shape  and 
color  presenting  very  striking  and  singular  appearances. 
Some  of  them  run  for  miles  in  horizontal  ridges  like  the  roofs 
of  houses,  and  seemingly  so  narrow  at  their  tops  that  one 
might  sit  astride  of  them.  Others,  again,  of  a  conical  form, 
stand  out  in  the  plain  apart  from  the  rest,  and  look  like  tea- 
cups turned  upon  their  mouths  in  the  middle  of  a  table. 
Then  there  are  sharp  peaks  that  shoot  upward  like  needles, 
and  others  shaped  like  the  dome  of  some  great  cathedral — 
like  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's.  These  mountains  are  of  many 
colors.  Some  are  dark,  or  dark  green,  or  blue  when  seen 
from  a  distance.  They  are  of  this  color  when  covered  by 
forests  of  pine  or  cedar,  both  of  which  trees  are  found  in 
great  plenty  among  the  mountains  of  the  desert. 

There  are  many  mountains  where  no  trees  are  seen  nor  any 
signs  of  vegetation  along  their  sides.  Huge  naked  rocks  of 
graiijte  appear  piled  upon  each  other,  or  jutting  out  over  dark 
and  frowning  chasms.  There  are  peaks  perfectly  Vvhite,  be- 
cause they  are  covered  with  a  thick  mantle  of  snow.  These 
can  always  be  seen  from  the  greatest  distance,  as  the  snow 
lying  upon  them  all  the  year  without  melting  proves  them  to 
be  of  vast  elevation  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  There  are 
other  peaks  almost  as  white,  and  yet  it  is  not  with  snow.  They 
are  of  a  milky  hue,  and  stunted  cedar  trees  may  be  seen  cling- 
ing in  seams  and  crevices  along  their  sides.  These  are  moun- 
tains of  pure  limestone,  or  the  white  quartz  rock.  There  are 
mountains,  again,  upon  which  neither  tree  nor  leaf  is  to  be 
seen  ;  but,  in  their  stead,  the  most  vivid  colors  of  red  and  green, 
and  yellow  and  white,  running  in  stripes  along  their  sides,  as 
though  they  had  been  freshly  painted.  These  stripes  mark 
the  strata  of  different  colored  rocks,  of  which  the  mountains 
are  composed.  And  there  are  still  other  mountains  in  the 
Great  American  Desert,  to  startle  the  traveler  with  their 
strange  appearance.  They  are  those  that  glitter  with  the 
mica  and  selenite.     These,  when  seen  from  a  distance  flash- 


12  THE    DESERT   HOME. 

ing  under  the  sun,  look  as  though  they  were  mountains  of 
silver  and  gold. 

The  rivers,  too  ;  strange  rivers  are  they.  Some  run  over 
broad  shallow  beds  of  bright  sand.  Large  rivers — hundreds 
of  yards  in  width,  with  sparkling  waters.  Follow  them  down 
their  course.  What  do  you  find  ?  Instead  of  growing 
larger,  like  the  rivers  of  your  own  land,  they  become  less 
and  less,  until  at  length  their  waters  sink  into  the  sands,  and 
you  see  nothing  but  the  dry  channel  for  miles  upon  miles. 
Go  still  farther,  and  again  the  water  appears,  and  onward 
increases  in  volume,  until,  thousands  of  miles  from  the  sea, 
large  ships  can  float  upon  their  bosom.  Such  are  the 
Arkansas  and  the  Platte. 

There  are  other  rivers  that  run  between  bleak,  rocky  banks 
— banks  a  thousand  feet  high,  whose  bald,  naked  "  bluffs  " 
frown  at  each  other  across  the  deep  chasm,  in  the  bottom 
of  which  roars  the  troubled  water.  Often  these  banks  extend 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  so  steep  at  all  points  that  one  cannot 
go  down  to  the  bed  of  their  stream  ;  and  often,  often  the 
traveler  has  perished  with  thirst,  while  the  roar  of  their 
water  was  sounding  in  his  ears.  Such  are  the  Colorado  and 
the  Snake. 

Still  others  go  sweeping  through  the  broad  plains,  tearing 
up  the  clay  with  their  mighty  floods,  and  year  after  year 
changing  their  channels,  until  they  are  sometimes  a  hundred 
miles  from  their  ancient  beds.  Here  they  are  found  gur- 
gling for  many  leagues  underground — under  vast  rafts  formed 
by  the  trees  which  they  have  borne  downward  in  their  cur- 
rent. There  you  find  them  winding  by  a  thousand  loops, 
like  the  sinuosities  of  a  great  serpent,  rolling  sluggishly  along, 
with  waters  red  and  turbid  as  though  they  were  rivers  of 
blood.     Such  are  the  Brazos  and  the  Red. 

Strange  rivers  are  they  that  struggle  through  the  moun- 
tains, and  valleys,  and  plateau  lands  of  the  Great  American 
Desert. 

Not  less  strange  are  its  lakes.  Some  lie  in  the  deep  re- 
cesses of  hills  that  dip  down  so  steeply  you  cannot  readi 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  13 

their  shores  ;  while  the  mountains  around  them  are  so  bleak 
and  naked,  that  not  even  a  bird  ever  wings  its  flight  across 
their  silent  waters.  Other  lakes  are  seen  in  broad,  barren 
plains  ;  and  yet,  a  few  years  after,  the  traveler  finds  them, 
not — they  have  dried  up  and  disappeared.  Some  are  fresh, 
with  waters  like  crystal ;  others  brackish  and  muddy  ;  while 
many  of  them  are  more  salt  than  the  ocean  itself. 

In  this  desert  there  are  springs — springs  of  soda  and  sul- 
phur, and  salt  waters  ;  and  others  so  hot  that  they  boil  up  as 
in  a  great  caldron,  and  you  could  not  dip  your  finger  into 
them  without  scalding  it. 

There  are  vast  caves  piercing  the  sides  of  the  mountains, 
and  deep  chasms  opening  into  the  plains — some  of  them  so 
deep  that  you  might  fancy  mountains  had  been  scooped  out 
to  form  them.  They  are  called  "barrancas."  There  are 
precipices  rising  straight  up  from  the  plains,  thousands  of  feet 
in  height,  and  steep  as  a  wall ;  and  through  the  mountains 
themselves  you  may  see  great  clefts  cut  by  the  rivers,  as 
though  they  had  been  tunneled  and  their  tops  had  fallen  in. 
They  are  called  "  canons."  All  these  singular  formations 
mark  the  wild  region  of  the  Great  American  Desert. 

It  has  its  denizens.  There  are  oases  in  it ;  some  of  them 
large,  and  settled  by  civilized  men.  One  of  these  is  the 
country  of  New  Mexico,  containing  many  towns,  and  30,000 
inhabitants.  These  are  of  the  Spanish  and  mixed  Indian 
races.  Another  oasis  is  the  country  around  the  Great  Salt 
and  Utah  Lakes.  Here  is  also  a  settlement,  established  in 
1846.  Its  people  are  Americans  and  Englishmen.  They 
are  the  Mormons ;  and,  though  they  dwell  hundreds  of  miles 
from  any  sea,  they  will  in  time  become  a  large  and  powerful 
nation  of  themselves. 

Besides  these  two  great  oases,  there  are  thousands  of  others 
of  all  sizes — from  fifty  miles  in  breadth,  to  the  little  spot  of 
a  few  acres,  formed  by  the  fertilizing  waters  of  some  gurgling 
spring.  Many  of  these  are  without  inhabitants.  In  otl  ers, 
again,  dwell  tribes  of  Indians,  some  of  them  numerous  and 
^werfv^  r)ossesb;n§  horses  and   cattle ;  while  others   are 


14  THE    DESERT    TfO:\IE. 

found  in  small  groups  of  three  or  four  families  each,  sub- 
sisting miserably  upon  roots,  seeds,  grass,  reptiles,  and  in- 
sects. In  addition  to  the  two  great  settlements  we  have 
mentioned,  and  the  Indians,  there  is  another  class  of  men 
scattered  over  this  region.  These  are  white  men — hunters 
n;id  trappers.  They  subsist  by  trapping  the  beaver  and 
hunting  the  buffalo  and  other  animals.  Their  life  is  one 
continued  scene  of  peril,  both  from  the  wild  animals  which 
they  encounter  in  their  lonely  excursions,  and  the  hostile 
liidians  with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  These  men  pro- 
cure the  furs  of  the  beaver,  the  otter,  the  muskrat,  the  mar- 
ten, the  ermine,  the  lynx,  the  fox,  and  the  skins  of  many 
other  animals.  This  is  their  business,  and  by  this  they  live. 
There  are  forts,  or  trading  posts,  established  by  adventurous  ' 
merchants,  at  long  distances  from  each  other  ;  and  at  these 
forts  the  trappers  exchange  their  furs  for  the  necessary  im- 
plements of  their  perilous  calling. 

There  is  another  class  of  men  who  traverse  the  great  des- 
ert. For  many  years  there  has  been  a  commerce  carried 
on  between  the  oasis  of  New  Mexico  and  the  United  States. 
This  commerce  employs  a  considerable  amount  of  capital, 
arid  a  great  number  of  men,  principally  Americans.  The 
goods  are  transported  in  large  wagons  drawn  by  mules  or 
oxen ;  and  a  train  of  these  wagons  is  called  a  "  caravan." 
Other  caravans — Spanish  ones — cross  the  western  wing  of 
the  desert,  from  Sonora  to  California,  and  thence  to  New 
Mexico.  Thus,  you  see,  the  American  Desert  has  its  cara- 
vans as  well  as  the  Saara. 

These  caravans  travel  for  hundreds  of  miles  through 
countries  in  which  there  are  no  inhabitants,  except  the  scat- 
tered and  roving  bands  of  Indians  ;  and  there  are  many  parts 
so  sterile,  that  not  even  these  can  exist  in  them. 

The  caravans,  however,  usually  follow  a  track  which  is 
known,  and  where  grass  and  water  may  be  found  at  certain 
seasons  of  the  year.  There  are  several  of  these  tracks,  or, 
as  they  are  called,  "  trails,"  that  cross  from  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  the  United  States  to  those  of  New  Mexico.     Be- 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  ij 

ween  one  and  another  of  them,  however,  stretch  vast  regions 
of  desert  country, — entirely  unexplored  and  unknown, — and 
many  fertile  spots  exist,  that  have  never  been  trodden  by  the 
foot  of  man. 

Sucli,  then,  my  youn^;  fi  iend,  is  a  rough  sketch  of  some  of 
tlie  more  prominent  features  of  the  Great  American  Desert. 

Ivct  nie  conduct  you  into  it,  and  show  you,  from  a  nearer 
view,  some  of  its  wild  but  interesting  aspects.  I  shall  not 
show  you  the  ^vildest  of  them,  lest  they  might  terrify  you. 
Fe^r  not,  I  shall  not  lead  you  into  danger.     Follow  me. 


THE   DESERT    HOME. 


CHAPTER  IL 


THE   WHITE   PEAK? 


Some  years  ago,  I  was  one  of  a  party  of  "  prairie  mer» 
chants  "  who  crossed  with  a  caravan  from  St.  Louis,  on  the 
Mississippi,  to  Santa  Fe,  in  New  Mexico.  We  followed  the 
usual  "  Santa  Fe  trail."  Not  disposing  of  all  our  goods  in 
New  Mexico,  we  kept  on  to  the  great  town  of  Chihuahua, 
which  lies  farther  to  the  south.  There  we  settled  our  busi- 
ness, and  were  about  to  return  to  the  United  States  the  way 
we  had  come,  when  it  was  proposed  (as  we  had  now  nothing 
to  encumber  us  but  our  bags  of  money)  that  we  should  ex- 
plore a  new  "  trail "  across  the  prairies.  We  all  wished  to 
find  a  better  route  than  the  Santa  Fe  road ;  and  we  expected 
that  such  a  one  lay  between  the  town  of  El  Paso,  on  the  Del 
Norte  B'"er,  and  some  point  on  the  frontiers  of  Arkansas. 

On  arriving  at  El  Paso,  we  sold  our  wagons,  and  purchased 
Mexican  pack  mules — engaging,  at  the  same  time,  a  number 
of  "  arrieros,"  or  muleteers,  to  manage  them.  We  also  pur- 
-':hased  saddle  horses — the  small  tight  horses  of  New  Mexico, 
which  are  excellent  for  journeying  in  the  desert.  We  pro- 
i^ided  ourselves,  moreover,  with  such  articles  of  clothing  and 
provisions  as  we  might  require  upon  our  unknown  route. 
Having  got  every  thing  ready  for  the  journey,  we  bade  adieu 
to  El  Paso,  and  turned  our  faces  eastward.  There  were  in 
all  twelve  of  us — traders,  and  a  number  of  hunters,  who  had 
agreed  to  accompany  us  across  the  plains.  There  was  a 
miner  too,  who  belonged  to  a  copper  mine  near  El  Paso. 
There  were  also  four  Mexicans — the  "  arrieros,"  who  had 
charge  of  our  little  train  of  pack  mules.  Of  course  we 
were  all  well  armed,,  and  mounted  upon  the  best  horses  we 
qould  procure  lor  money. 


THE    DESERT    HOMt:.  fj 

Wo  li.id  first  to  cross  over  the  Rocky  Mountains,  wliich 
run  north  and  south  through  all  the  country.  That  chain  of 
them  which  lies  eastward  of  El  Paso  is  called  the  Sierra  de 
Organos,  or  "  Organ  Mountains."  They  are  so  called  from 
the  fancied  resemblance  which  is  seen  in  one  of  their  cliffs 
tD  the  tubes  of  an  organ.  These  cliffs  are  of  trap  rock, 
which,  as  you  are  aware,  often  presents  very  fantastic  and" 
singular  formations,  by  means  of  its  peculiar  stratification. 
But  there  is  a  still  more  curious  feature  about  these  Organ 
Mountains.  On  the  top  of  one  of  them  is  a  lake,  which  has 
its  tides,  that  ebb  and  flow  like  the  tides  of  the  ocean.  No 
one  has  yet  accounted  for  this  remarkable  phenomenon,  and  it 
/emains  a  puzzle  to  the  geological  inquirer.  This  lake  is  a 
favorite  resort  fjr  the  wild  animals  of  the  country,  and  deer 
and  elk  Lre  found  in  great  numbers  around  its  shores.  They 
are  not  even  molested  by  the  Mexican  hunters  of  these  parts, 
who  seem  to  have  a  superstitious  fear  of  the  spirits  of  the 
Organ  Mountains,  and  rarely  climb  up  their  steep  sides. 

Our  party  found  an  easy  'pass  through  the  range,  which 
brought  us  out  into  an  open  countiy  on  the  other  side.  After 
traveling  several  days  through  the  eastern  spurs  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  we  struck  upon  a  small  stream,  which  we  fol- 
lowed downward.  It  brought  us  at  length  to  a  large  river 
running  north  and  south,  which  we  knew  to  be  the  cele- 
brated Pecos  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  Puerco.  These, 
you  wall  perceive,  are  all  Spanish  names,  for  the  country 
through  which  we  were  travelling,  although  uninhabited  and 
even  unexplored  by  the  Mexican  Spaniards,  was  yet  part  of 
their  territory ;  and  such  objects  as  were  knowai  to  them, 
through  hunters  or  others,  had  received  names  in  their  Ian 
guage. 

We  crossed  the  Pecos,  and  traveled  for  some  days  up 
its  left  bank,  in  hopes  of  reaching  some  other  stream  that 
might  run  into  it  from  the  east,  which  w^  could  follow.  No 
F,uch  stream  appeared  ;  and  we  were  forced  at  times  to  leave 
the  Pecos  itself,  and  take  out  into  the  open  country  for  a  dis- 
tance of  miles,  before  we  could  get  back  to  its  waters.     This 

2 


l8  THE   DESEkl     HOME. 

was  on  account  of  the  deep  channel  which  the  river — worV 
ing  for  long  ages — had  cut  through  hills  that  opposed  its 
course,  leaving  on  both  sides  vast  precipices  for  its  banks. 

Having  now  got  farther  to  the  north  than  we  wished,  our 
party  at  length  determined  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the 
arid  plain  which  stretched  away  eastward  as  far  as  tlie  eye 
could  reach.  It  was  a  perilous  enterprise  to  leave  the  river^ 
without  some  knowledge  that  there  was  water  ahead  of  us. 
Travelers,  under  such  circumstances,  usually  keep  close  to  a 
stream,  wherever  it  runs  in  the  direction  in  which  they  wish 
to  go ;  but  we  had  grown  impatient  on  not  finding  any  one 
flowing  into  the  Pecos  from  the  east ;  and  having  filled  our 
gourd  canteens,  and  givan  our  animals  as  much  water  as 
they  could  drink,  we  turned  the  ir  heads  towards  the  open 
plain. 

After  riding  for  several  hours,  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  a  wide  desert,  with  neither  hill,  mountain,  nor  any 
other  landmark  in  view.  Scarcely  a  trace  of  vegetation  ap- 
peared around  us.  Here  and  there  were  patches  of  stunted 
sage  bushes  and  clumps  of  thorny  cactus,  but  not  a  bhide 
of  grass  to  gladden  the  eyes  of  our  animals.  Not  a  drop  of 
water  was  met  with,  nor  any  indication  that  rain  had  e\er 
fallen  upon  that  parched  plain.  The  soil  was  as  dry  as 
powder,  and  the  dust  kicked  up  by  the  hoofs  of  our  mules 
and  horses  hung  around  us  in  a  cloud  as  we  marched.  In 
addition  to  this,  the  heat  was  excessive :  and  this,  with  the 
dust  and  fatigue  of  travel,  brought  on  an  unquenchable 
thirst,  that  soon  caused  us  to  drink  up  the  contents  of  our 
water  gourds.  Long  before  night  they  were  all  empty^  apal 
every  one  of  our  party  was  crying  out  from  thirst.  ()i  : 
animals  suffered  worse;  for  we,  at  least,  had  food,  while 
they,  poor  brutes,  were  without  a  bite  to  sustain  them.    , 

We  could  not  well  turn  back.  \\q  thought  we  should 
surely  come  to  water,  sooner  than  we  could  get  back  to  the 
river  ;  and  with  this  liope  we  struggled  on.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon, our  eyes  were  greeted  by  a  glad  sight,  that  caused  us 
to  start  up  in  our  saddles  with  a  feeling  of  joy.     You  may 


THE    DESL'.Rr    HOME. 


19 


I 


think  that  it  was  water — but  it  was  not.  It  was  a  white  object 
that  appeared  against  the  sky  at  a  great  distance.  It  was  of  a 
irianguhir  shape,  and  seemed  to  be  suspended  in  the  air  hke 
the  upper  half  of  a  huge  kite.  All  of  us  knew  at  a  glance 
wliat  it  was.  We  knew  that  it  was  the  white  cap  of  a  snowy 
mountain. 

Vou  will  wonder  why  this  sight  should  ha\'e  given  us  such 
feelings  of  pleasure,  as,  in  your  opinion,  there  is  nothing 
very  hospitable  in  the  appearance  of  a  snow-cajjped  moun- 
tain. That  is  because  you  do  not  understand  tlie  j:>eculiari- 
ties  of  the  desert.  I  shall  explain.  We  knew  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  mountain  that  it  was  one  of  those  where  the 
snow  lies  forever,  and  which  throughout  IMexico  are  termed 
"  Nevada,"  or  snowy.  V/e  knew,  moreover,  that  wherever 
these  are  met  with,  streams  of  water  will  be  found  running 
down  their  sides,  almost  at  all  seasons,  but  certainly  in  hot 
or  summer  weather,  in  consequence  of  the  melting  of  the 
snow.  It  was  this  knowledge,  then,  that  cheered  us  ;  and 
although  the  mountain  seemed  at  a  great  distance,  we  pushed 
forward  with  renewed  energy  and  hope.  Our  animals,  too, 
as  if  they  also  understood  the  matter,  neighed  and  brayed 
loudl}",  and  stepped  out  with  a  more  springy  and  elastic 
tread. 

The  white  triangle  grew  bigger  as  we  advanced.  At  sun- 
set we  could  distinguish  the  brown  seams  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  mountain  ;  and  the  yellow  rays  dancing  upon  the 
snowy  crystals  of  the  cone  caused  it  to  glitter  like  a  coronet 
of  gold.     The  sight  cheered  us  on. 

The  sun  set,  and' the  moon  took  his  place  in  the  heavens. 
Under  her  pale  light  we  traveled  on — the  peak  of  the  moun- 
tain still  glistening  coldly  before  us.  We  traveled  all  night — 
and  why  not  ?  There  was  nothing  to  halt  for.  We  could 
not  have  halted,  except  to  die. 

The  morning  broke  upon  us  as  we  dragged  wearily  along. 
We  could  not  have  ridden  less  than  a  hundred  miles  since 
we  left  the  Pecos  River ;  and  yet,  to  our  dismay,  the  moun- 
tain was  still   at  a  good  distance  before  us.     As  the  day 


20  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

brightened,  we  could  trace  the  configuration  of  its  base  ;  and 

we  observed  that  upon  its  southern  face  a  deep  ravine  in- 
dented the  mountain  nearly  to  its  top.  On  its  western  side — 
the  one  nearest  us — there  was  no  such  feature ;  and  we  con- 
jectured that  the  most  likely  place  for  water  would  be  in  the 
ravine  on  the  south,  where  a  stream  might  be  formed  by  the 
aggregation  of  the  melted  snow  water. 

We  directed  our  course  towards  the  point,  where  the 
ravine  appeared  to  have  its  debouchment  on  the  plain.  We 
had  calculated  rightly  :  as  we  approached  it,  winding  round 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  we  saw  a  line  of  a  bright  green 
color,  running  out  into  the  brown  desert.  It  looked  like  a 
low  hedge,  with  here  and  there  tall  trees  growing  up  above 
tho  rest.  We  knew  well  what  it  was  —  '\t  was  a  grove  ol 
willows,  with  trees  of  cottonwood  interspersed.  We  knew 
them  to  be  the  sure  signs  of  water,  and  we  hailed  their  ap- 
pearance with  delight.  The  men  huzzaed  hoarsely — the 
horses  neighed — the  mules  hinnied — and,  in  a  few  moments 
more,  men,  mules,  and  horses  were  kneeling  by  a  crystal 
runlet,  and  drinking  deeply  of  its  waters. 


TH£   DESEKl    UOM£.  gt 


CHAPTER  in. 

THE    VALLEY     OASIS. 

After  so  long  and  terrible  a  journey,  of  course,  we  all 
Stood  in  need  of  rest  and  refreshment.  We  made  up  our 
minds  to  stay  by  the  stream  c.11  night,  and  perhaps  for  a  day 
or  two.  The  fringe  of  willows  extended  on  both  sides  of  it, 
for  a  distance  of  fifty  yards  into  the  plain  ;  and  among  these, 
growing  under  their  shade,  there  were  patches  of  grass — that 
species  known  in  Mexico  as  the  gramma  grass.  It  is  a 
rich,  nutritious  herbage ;  and  horses  and  cattle — as  well  as 
the  buffaloes  and  other  wild  animals — are  very  fond  of  it. 
Our  mules  and  horses  gave  proof  of  this ;  for,  as  soon  as 
they  had  satisfied  themselves  with  the  water,  they  attacked 
it  with  open  mouths,  and  eyes  sparkling  with  delight.  We 
relieved  them  of  their  packs  and  saddles  ;  and  then,  having 
picketed  them,  left  them  to  eat  to  their  hearts'  content. 

We  now  set  about  looking  after  something  for  our  own 
suppers.  We  had  not  yet  suffered  much  from  hunger,  as 
we  had  occasionally  chewed  pieces  of  our  dried  meat  while 
crossing  the  plain.  But  we  had  eaten  it  quite  raw ;  and 
tasajo  — for  that  is  its  name — is  no  great  eating,  either  raw 
or  roasted.  We  had  been  living  upon  it  for  more  than  a 
week,  and  we  longed  for  something  fresh.  During-  all  the 
route  from  El  Paso  we  had  fallen  in  with  no  game,  except 
some  half  dozen  lean  antelopes,  only  one  of  which  we  had 
succeeded  in  shooting. 

While  we  were  picketing  our  animals,  and  getting  ready 
to  cook  our  suppers  of  coffee  and  tasajo,  one  of  the  hun- 
ters— a  tireless  fellow  named  Lincoln — had  stolen  off  up  the 
ravine.  Presently  we  heard  the  sharp  crack  of  his  rifte  ring- 
ing through  the  defile  j  and,  poking  up,  we  saw  a  iiock  of 


22  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

"  bighorns  " — so  the  wiUl  slieep  of  tlic  Rocky  Mountains  are 
called — leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  and  aJ-  jst  iiying  like 
birds  up  the  face  of  the  cliffs.  It  was  not  long  before  Lin- 
coln made  his  appearance  at  the  mouth  of  the  defile,  carry- 
ing a  large  body  upon  his  shoulders,  which  we  knew,  by  the 
huge  crescent-shaped  horns,  had  been  a  member  of  the  flock 
we  had  seen  escaping.  It  proved  to  be  as  fat  as  a  buck ; 
and  the  knives  of  the  skilful  hunters  were  not  long  in  skin- 
ning and  dissecting  it.  Meanwhile,  a  couple  of  axes  had 
been  grappled  by  stout  hands ;  a  cottonw^ood  came  crashing 
down  after  a  few  sharp  blows;  and,  having  been  cut  into 
"  logs,"  was  soon  crackling  under  the  red  blaze.  Over  this, 
the  ribs  and  steaks  of  the  bighorn  soon  sputtered,  and  the 
coffee  kettle  steamed,  simmered,  and  bubbled  with  its  brown 
and  aromatic  contents.  Our  supper  over,  one  and  all  of  us 
rolled  ourselves  in  our  blankets,  and  were  soon  forgetful  of 
the  perils  through  which  we  had  passed. 

Next  morning  we  arose  refreshed,  and  after  breakfast  a 
consultation  was  held  as  to  what  course  we  should  now  take. 
We  would  have  followed  the  stream,  but  it  appeared  to  run 
in  a  southerly  direction,  and  that  would  not  do  for  us.  We 
wanted  to  go  eastward.  While  we  were  deliberating  upon 
this,  an  exclamation  from  the  hunter  Lincoln  drew  our 
attention.  He  was  standing  in  the  open  ground,  at  some 
distance  out  from  the  v.dllows,  and  pointing  southward.  We 
all  looked  in  that  direction,  and,  to  our  great  surprise,  beheld 
a  pillar  of  blue  smoke  curling  up  into  the  sky,  and  seeming 
to  rise  out  of  the  plain. 

"  It  must  be  Indians !  "  cried  one. 

"  I  noticed  an  odd-looking  hole  in  the  prairie  down  there," 
said  Lincoln  ;  "  I  noticed  it  last  night  when  I  w^as  up  after 
the  bighorn.  The  smoke  we  see  comes  out  of  it ;  but  there 
must  be  a  lire  where  there's  smoke,  they  say ;  and  there'b 
somebody  about  that  fire,  be  they  Injuns  or  whites." 

"  Indians,  of  course,"  rejoined  several ;  "  who  else  would 
be  found  within  hundreds  of  miles  of  such  a  place  as  this  ? 
Indians  they  must  be." 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  23 

A  brief  consultation  was  held  aniongf  us,  as  to  what  was 
l)r.;t  to  be  done.  ijOur  lire  was  at  once  *'  choked  out,"  and 
oLir  mules  and  horses  brought  into  the  cover  of  the  willow 
thicket.  Some  proposed  that  a  small  party  of  us  should  go 
down  the  stream  and  reconnoiter ;  w  hile  others  advised  that 
we  should  climb  the  mountain,  from  which  we  might  get  a 
view  of  the  strange  place  whence  the  smoke  seemed  to  pro- 
ceed. This  was  plainly  the  best  course  to  adopt,  as,  in  case 
it  should  fail  to  satisfy  us,  we  could  still  follow  the  other 
plan.  Half  a  dozen  of  us  therefore,  leaving  the  others  to 
guard  the  camp,  immediately  set  out  to  ascend  the  mountain. 

We  climbed  up  the  ravine,  occasionally  stopping  to  look 
out  over  the  plain.  We  climbed  until  we  had  reached  a 
considerable  elevation.  At  length  we  caught  a  glimpse  of 
what  appeared  to  be  a  deep  barranca,  into  which  ran  the 
stream  ;  but  we  could  distinguish  nothing  w'ithin  it  at  so 
great  a  distance.  We  could  see  the  plain  stretching  away 
beyond,  naked  and  sterile.  On  one  side  only,  and  that  to- 
wards the  east,  there  was  a  belt  of  verdure,  with  here  and 
there  a  solitary  tree,  or  at  most  two  or  three  growing  together, 
stunted-like  and  shrubby.  Running  in  the  center  of  this  belt, 
we  could  distinguish  a  line  or  crack  in  the  plain.  This  was, 
no  doubt,  a  channel,  by  wdiich  the  stream  escaped  from  the 
barranca.  As  nothing  further  could  be  gained  by  remaining 
upon  the  mountain,  we  descended,  and  joined  our  companions 
at  the  camp. 

It  was  now  agreed  that  a  select  party  should  follow  the 
stream,  until  we  had  approached  the  edge  of  this  strange 
valley,  and  reconnoitered  it  with  caution.  Six  of  us  again 
started,  leaving  our  horses  as  before.  We  stole  silently 
along,  keeping  among  the  willows  and  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  banks  of  the  rivulet.  In  this  way  we  traveled  about  a 
mile  and  a  half.  We  saw  then  that  w^e  were  near  to  the  end 
of  the  barranca.  We  could  hear  a  noise  like  the  sound  of 
a  waterfall.  We  guessed  that  it  must  be  a  cataract  formed 
by  the  stream,  where  it  leaped  into  the  strange  ravine  that 
already  began  to  expand  before  our  faces.     We  were  right  in 


14  '  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

our  conjectures,  for  the  next  moment  we  crept  out  upon  the 
edge  of  a  fearful  cliff,  where  the  water  of  the   rivulet  swej 
over,  and  fell  through  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet. 

It  was  a  beautiful  sight  to  look  upon,  as  the  long  jet,  curvj 
ing  like  the  tail  of  a  horse,  plunged  into  the  foaming  pool 
below ;  and  then,  rising  with  its  millions  of  globules  oi 
snowy  spray,  glittered  under  the  sunbeam  with  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow.  It  was,  indeed,  a  beautiful  sight ;  but  oui 
eyes  did  not  dwell  long  upon  it,  for  other  objects  were  b( 
fore  them  that  filled  us  with  wonder.  Away  below — far  be 
low  where  we  were — lay  a  lovely  valley,  smiling  in  all  the 
luxuriance  of  bright  vegetation.  It  was  of  nearly  an  ov£ 
shape,  bounded  upon  all  sides  by  a  frowning  precipice  that 
rose  around  it  like  a  wall.  Its  length  could  not  have  been] 
less  than  ten  miles,  and  its  greatest  breadth  about  half  of  its 
length.  We  were  at  its  upper  end,  and  of  course  viewec 
it  lengthwise.  Along  the  face  of  the  precipice  there  werel 
trees  hanging  out  horizontally,  and  some  of  them  even  grow- 
ing with  their  tops  downward.  These  trees  were  cedars 
and  pines ;  and  we  could  perceive  also  the  knotted  limbs 
of  huge  cacti  protruding  from  .the  crevices  of  the  rocks.  We 
could  see  the  wdld  mezcal,  or  maguey  plant,  growing  against ' 
the  cliff — its  scarlet  leaves  contrasting  finely  with  the  dark: 
foliage  of  the  cedars  and  cacti.  Some  of  these  plants  stood 
out  on  the  very  brow  of  the  overhanging  precipice,  and  their 
long  curving  blades  gave  a  singular  character  to  the  land- 
scape. Along  the  face  of  the  dark  cliffs  all  was  rough,  and 
gloomy,  and  picturesque.  How  different  was  the  scene 
below  1  Here  every  thing  looked  soft,  and  smiling,  and 
beautiful.  There  were  broad  stretches  of  woodland,  where 
the  thick  foliage  of  the  trees  met  and  clustered  together,  so 
that  it  looked  like  the  surface  of  the  earth  itself;  but  we 
knew  it  was  only  the  green  leaves,  for  here  and  there  were 
spots  of  brighter  green,  that  we  saw  w^ere  glades  covered 
with  grassy  turf.  The  leaves  of  the  trees  were  of  different 
colors,  for  it  was  now  late  in  the  autumn.  Some  were  yel- 
low and  some  of  a  deep  claret  color.     Some  were  bright  red, 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  2$ 

and  some  of  a  beautiful  maroon ;  and  there  were  green, 
and  brighter  green,  and  others  of  a  silvery,  whitish  hue. 
All  these  colors  were  mingled  together,  and  blended  into 
each  other,  like  the  flowers  upon  a  rich  carpet. 

Near  the  center  of  the  valley  was  a  large  shining  object, 
which  we  knew  to  be  water.  It  was  evidently  a  lake  of  crys- 
tal purity,  and  smooth  as  a  mirror.  The  sun  was  now  ur 
10  meridian  height,  and  his  yellow  beams  falling  upon  it^ 
>urface,  caused  it  to  gleam  like  a  sheet  of  gold.  We  could 
not  trace  the  outlines  of  the  water, — for  the  trees  partially 
hid  it  from  our  view, — but  we  saw  that  the  smoke  that  had 
at  first  attracted  us  rose  up  somewhere  from  the  western 
shore  of  the  lake. 

We  returned  to  the  camp,  where  we  had  left  our  com- 
panions. It  was  now  agreed  that  we  should  all  ride  down 
the  side  of  the  barranca  together,  until  we  could  find  a  place 
to  descend  into  it.  It  was  evident  some  such  place  existed, 
else  how  could  they  have  got  in  who  had  kindled  the  fire 
there  ? 

Ws  left  the  Mexicans  in  camp  with  our  mules,  and  all 
the  rest  oi  us,  having  mounted  our  horses,  rode  off  together. 
We  went  by  the  eastern  side,  keeping  well  back  upon  the 
plain,  so  that  we  might  not  be  seen  until  we  discovered  what 
sort  of  people  were  in  the  valley.  When  we  had  got  op- 
posite to  where  the  smoke  was  still  curling  up,  Ave  stopped  ; 
and  two  of  us,  dismounting,  crawled  forward  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  precipice.  We  took  care  to  keep  some  bushes, 
that  grew  along  the  brink,  between  ourselves  and  the  lake. 
At  length  we  were  able  to  get  a  good  view  of  everything 
below ;  and  a  very  strange  sight  that  was — at  least  it  was 
very  strange  in  such  a  place,  where  it  was  so  little  expected. 
There  was  a  large  lake,  as  I  have  already  stated ;  and  on 
its  opposite  side,  not  over  a  hundred  yards  from  its  edge, 
was  a  fine-looking  log  house,  with  other  smaller  ones  stand- 
ing in  the  rear.  There  were  rail  fences  all  around  them, 
and  a  cleared  space  divided  into  fields,  some  of  which  ap- 
peared to  be  under  cultivation,  while  others  were  green  and 


26  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

filled  with  flocks  of  animals.  The  whole  picture  was  ex- 
actly like  a  snug  farmhouse,  with  its  stables  and  other  oat- 
houses,  with  its  garden  and  fields,  and  horses  and  cattle. 
The  distance  was  too  great  for  us  to  distinguish  what  sort 
of  cattle  they  were ;  but  there  appeared  to  be  many  kinds, 
both  red,  and  black,  and  speckled.  Vs'c  could  see  se\eral 
rim'.res  of  men  and  boys — four  of  them  in  all — moving  about 
The  enclosures,  and  there  was  a  woman  near  the  door  of  the 
iiDiise.  It  was  impossible  in  the  distance  to  tell  whether 
tiiey  were  white  people,  but  we  never  imagined  for  a  mo- 
ment they  could  be  Indians.  No  Indian  could  have  built 
such  a  house  as  that.  It  seemed  to  us  as  though  v,  e  were 
dreaming,  to  find  such  a  picture  in  so  unexpected  a  place ; 
and  it  was  a  beautiful  picture  to  our  eyes,  coming  fresh  as 
we  were  from  looking  upon  the  barren  desert.  The  lake 
was  smooth  as  a  mirror ;  the  sun  was  shining  upon  it ;  and 
we  could  see  upon  its  farther  shore  several  large  animals 
standing  up  to  their  knees  in  the  water. 

There  were  many  other  striking  objects  which  met  our 
eyes,  but  we  had  no  time  to  dwell  upon  them,  and  we  crawled 
back  again  to  our  companions. 

It  was  at  once  agreed  that  we  should  go  still  farther  down, 
and  endeavor  to  find  a  road  leading  into  this  most  singular 
on  sis.  We  thought  we  could  distinguish  a  sort  of  depres- 
sion in  the  plain  near  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  and  for 
this  point  we  directed  our  course.  After  riding  a  few  miies 
farther,  we  reached  the  place  where  the  stream  issued  out  in 
an  easterly  direction.  There,  sure  enough,  was  the  very 
road  we  were  in  search  of,  winding  down  along  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  and  as  if  carved  out  from  the  face  of  the  prec- 
ipice. It  was  not  much  Vv^ider  than  the  irack  of  a  wagon, 
])ut  was  of  very  easy  descent.  We  did  not  hesitate  a  moment, 
but  commenced  riding  downward. 


THE   DESERT    HOMl*  tj 


,HAPTER  IV. 

THE  STRANGE   SETTLEMENT. 

We  were  soon  in  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  where  we  fol- 
'Aved  a  plain  track  that  led  along  the  banks  of  the  rivulet. 
•Ve  knew  that  that  would  direct  us  up  to  the  lake,  v/here  we 
mould  get  a  view  of  the  house.  We  were  astonished  at  the 
ereat  variety  of  trees  which  we  saw  in  the  woods ;  but  there 
appeared  to  be  almost  as  great  a  variety  of  beautiful  birds, 
tnat  fluttered  among  the  leaves  as  we  rode  forward. 

We  came  at  length  within  sight  of  the  opening  in  which 
the  nouse  and  lake  were  situated.  It  was  prudent  to  make 
anomer  i-econnoisance  before  we  advanced  farther ;  and  two 
ot  us,  again  dismounting,  stole  cautiously  forward  through  a 
thicker  of  leafy  shrubs.  The  house  and  all  its  grounds  lay 
betorc  us. 

It  W'dS  a  log  house, — such  as  are  met  with  in  the  Western 
States  of  America, — and  well  constructed.  There  was  a 
garden  at  one  end,  and  fields  on  all  sides.  These  fields  were, 
as  v;e  had  supposed,  some  of  them  under  cultivation.  We 
noticed  one  of  them  with  a  crop  of  Indian  corn,  and  another 
of  wi'ieat.  But  what  most  astonished  us  v/as  the  kind  of 
animals  we  saw  in  the  enclosures.  One  would  have  thought 
at  first  signr,  that  they  were  the  animals  usually  seen  around 
an  English  or  American  farmhouse — that  is  to  sny,  horses, 
cattle,  sheep,  goats,  hogs,  and  poultry.  You  may  fancy, 
then,  our  surprise,  when,  on  looking  narrowly  at  them,  we 
could  not  matre  out  a  single  animal  exactly  resembling  any 
one  of  tfie  above,  with  tiie  exception  of  horses;  and  even 
these  were  unbRe  the  common  kind,  for  they  were  smaller, 
and  spotted  all  over  like  hounds  !  We  knew  that  they  were 
mustangs— ^rXi^  ^dd  horses  of  the  desert. 


2l  THE    DESERT   HOME. 

We  Manced  at  the  animals  we  had  taken  for  black  cattle. 
VVlmt  were  they  but  buffaloes  ! — buffaloes  penned  :ip  in 
fields,  and  not  heeding  the  human  beings  that  passed  shout- 
ing among  them.  More  than  all,  we  now  saw  that  two 
animals  yoked  to  the  plow  were  of  the  same  species — a 
pair  of  huge  buffalo  bulls  ;  and  they  were  working  with  all 
the  quietness  and  regularity  of  oxen. 

Another  kind  of  large  animals  drew  our  attention,  still 
taller  than  the  buffaloes.  We  saw  several  of  them  standing 
quietly  in  the  water  of  the  lake,  in  which  their  huge  bodies 
and  branching  horns  were  shadowed  as  in  a  mirror.  These 
we  knew  to  be  elk — the  great  American  elk.  We  saw  several 
kinds  of  deer,  and  antelopes  with  their  short,  pronged  horns, 
and  animals  that  resembled  these  last  in  size,  but  with  im- 
mense curving  horns  like  those  of  the  ram,  and  other  animals 
like  goats  or  sheep.  We  saw^  some  without  tails,  having  the 
appearance  of  pigs,  and  others  resembling  foxes  and  dogs. 
We  could  see  fowls  of  different  kinds  moving  about  the 
doors  ;  and  among  others  we  distinguished  the  tall,  upright 
form  of  the  wild  turkey.  The  whole  picture  looked  like  the 
collection  of  some  zoological  garden  or  menagerie. 

Two  men  were  seen — one  a  tall,  white  man,  with  a  some- 
what florid  complexion.  The  other  was  a  short  and  veiy 
thick-set  negro.  The  latter  was  by  the  plow.  There  were 
two  younger  men,  or  lads  nearly  grown.  A  woman  sat  by 
<he  door,  engaged  in  some  occupation ;  and  near  her  were 
vwo  little  girls,  no  doubt  her  daughters. 

But  the  sight  which  was  strangest  of  all,  both  to  my  com- 
panion and  myself,  was  what  appeared  in  front  of  the  house, 
and  around  the  little  porch  where  the  woman  was  sitting. 
It  was  a  fearful  sight  to  look  upon.  First  there  were  two 
large,  black  bears,  perfectly  loose,  and  playing  with  each 
other .  Then  there  were  several  smaller  animals,  that  we 
had  at  first  taken  for  dogs,  but  that  we  now  recognized,  by 
their  bushy  tails,  sharp  snouts,  and  short,  erect  ^ars  to  have 
at  least  as  much  of  the  wolf  as  dog  m  them.  They  were  of 
that  kind  often  met  with  among  the  Indians,  and  might  mor^ 


THE    DESERT    HOME. 


39 


properly  be  called  dog  wolves  than  wolf  dogs.  There  were 
at  least  half  a  dozen  of  them  sauntering  about.  But  the 
most  fearful  looking  of  all  were  two  animals  of  a  tawny  red 
color,  that  lay  in  crouching  attitudes  within  the  porch,  almost 
at  the  feet  of  the  woman.  Their  ^ound,  cat-like  heads  and 
.  ears,  their  short,  black  muzzles,  their  white  throats,  and  pale, 
reddish  breasts,  told  us  what  they  were  at  a  glance. 

'■'  Panthers !  "  ejaculated  my  companion,  drawing  a  long 
breath,  and  looking  at  me  with  a  puzzled  air.  Yes,  they 
v.'cre  panthers, — so  called  by  the  hunters  but  more  properly 
cougars, — the  fclis  concolor  of  the  naturalists — the  lion  of 
America. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  fierce  creatures,  the  two  young 
girls  were  moving  about,  apparently  unconcerned  at  their 
presence,  while  the  animals  appeared  equally  unconcerned 
about  them.  The  whole  scene  reminded  us  of  the  fanciful 
pictures  we  had  seen  of  that  time  promised  in  the  sacred 
book,  when  "  all  the  earth  shall  be  at  peace,  and  the  lion 
shall  lie  down  with  the  lamb." 

We  did  not  stop  to  see  more.  We  were  satisfied,  and 
went  back  for  our  companions.  In  five  minutes  after,  the 
whok  of  us  entered  the  clearing,  and  rode  up  to  the  house 
Our  sudden  appearance  produced  consternation  on  all  sides. 
The  men  shouted  to  each  other — the  horses  neighed — the 
dogs  howled  and  barked  hoarsely — and  the  fowls  mingled 
their  voices  in  the  clamor.  We  were  taken,  no  doubt,  for  a 
party  of  Indians ;  but  we  were  not  long  in  making  it  under- 
stood who  and  what  we  were.  As  soon  as  our  explanations 
were  given,  the  white  man  invited  us,  in  the  politest  manner, 
to  alight,  and  partake  of  his  hospitality.  At  the  same  time, 
he  gave  orders  for  our  dinners  to  be  prepared ;  and,  desir- 
ing us  to  lead  our  horses  into  one  of  the  enclosures,  he  com- 
menced throwing  corn  into  a  large  wooden  trough.  In 
this  he  was  assisted  by  the  negro,  who  was  his  serv- 
ant, and  the  two  young  lads,  who  appeared  to  be  his 
lions. 

As  yet  we  had  not  ceased  to  wonder.     Everything  around 


30  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

US  was  strange  and  inexplicable.  The  animals,  which  none 
of  us  had  ever  seen,  except  in  their  wild  state,  were  as  tame 
and  gentle  as  farm  cattle;  and  we  :^"^ticed  some  new  species 
at  every  turn.  There  were  strange  plants,  too,  growing  in 
the  fields  and  garden,  and  vines  trained  upon  espaliers,  and 
corn  cribs  filled  with  yellow  corn,  and  dove  cots,  ^nd  martin 
boxes,  with  swallows  twittering  around  them.  All  formed  a 
curious  but  pleasing  picture. 

We  had  sauntered  about  for  an  hour,  when  we  were  sum 
moned  to  dinner. 

"  Follow  me,  gentlemen,"  said  our  host,  as  he  led  the  wa) 
to  the  house.  We  entered,  and  seated  ourselves  around  i 
good-sized  table,  upon  which  smoked  several  savory  an«. 
inviting  dishes.  Some  of  these  we  recognized  as  old  ac- 
quaintances, while  others  were  new  to  us.  We  found  venison 
steaks  with  buffalo  tongues  and  hump  ribs — the  daintiest 
portions  of  that  animal.  There  were  fresh-cooked  fowls, 
and  eggs  of  the  wld  turkey  boiled  and  dressed  in  omelets. 
There  were  bread  and  butter,  and  milk,  and  rich  cheese,  all 
set  out  to  tempt  our  appetites,  that,  to  say  the  truth,  just  at 
that  time  did  not  require  much  coaxing  to  do  justice  to  the 
viands  before  us.  We  were  all  quite  hungry,  for  we  had 
eaten  nothing  since  morning.  A  large  kettle  simmered  by 
the  fire.  "  What  could  it  contain  ?  "  thought  we  ;  "  surely 
not  tea  or  coffee."  In  a  short  time  we  were  satisiied  on 
this  head.  Bowls  were  placed  before  us  ;  and  into  these 
the  hot  liquid  was  poured,  which  we  found  to  be  a  very 
palatable  as  well  as  wholesome  beverage — the  tea  of  *h^ 
sassafras  root.  It  was  sweetened  by  maple  sugar  ;  and  e^ch 
nelped  himself  to  cream  to  his  own  liking.  We  had  all 
tasted  such  tea  before,  and  many  of  our  party  liked  it  as  well 
as  the  tea  of  China. 

While  we  continued  to  eat,  we  could  not  help  noticing  the 
strangeness  of  everything  around  us.  All  the  articles  of 
furniture  were  of  unique  and  rude  description  ;  and  it  was 
plain  that  most  of  them  had  been  manufactured  upon  the 
spot.     The  vessels  were  of  several   sorts  and  of  different 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  3 1 

materials.  There  were  cups  and  dishes,  and  bowls  cut  out  of 
shells  of  the  gourd  or  calabash  ;  and  there  were  spoons  and 
ladles  of  the  same  material.  There  were  wooden  platters 
and  trays  carved  and  scooped  out  of  the  solid  tree.  And 
more  numerous  were  the  vessels  of  red  pottery,  of  different 
shapes  and  for  different  uses.  Of  these  there  were  large 
pots  for  cooking,  and  jars  for  holding  v/ater,  and  jugs  of 
various  dimensions. 

The  chairs,  too,  were  all  of  rude  construction,,  but  ad- 
mirably adapted  to  their  purpose.  Most  of  them  were 
covered  with  rawhide  seats,  which  stretched  up  the  back  in 
a  slanting  line,  and  thus  rendered  them  firm  and  commodious. 
A  few  lighter  ones,  evidently  intended  as  the  furniture  of  the 
inner  rooms, — there  were  but  two  in  the  house, — had 
bottoms  woven  out  of  the  leaves  of  the  palmetto. 

There  was  very  little  attempt  at  ornament  upon  the  walls — 
if  we  except  some  curiosities  that  were  placed  there,  ail  of 
which  were  evidently  the  productions  of  the  valley  itself. 
There  were  stuffed  birds,  of  rare  and  bright  plumage,  and 
huge  horns  of  animals,  with  two  or  three  shells  of  the  land 
tortoise,  carefully  polished.  There  were  no  mirrors  nor  pic- 
tures, and  not  a  book  to  be  seen,  except  one ;  that  was  a 
medium-sized  volume,  placed  on  a  small  table  by  itself,  and 
evidently  preserved  with  great  care,  as  it  had  been  neatly 
and  elaborately  bound  in  the  skin  of  a  young  antelope.  I 
had  the  curiosity  to  open  this  book,  shortly  after  entering. 
I  read  upon  the  title  page  the  words,  "Holy  Bible."  This 
circumstance  increased  the  interest  I  already  felt  in  our  host 
and  his  family  ;  and  T  sat  down  with  feelings  of  confidence, 
for  I  knew  that  even  in  this  remote  place  we  were  enjoying 
the  hospitality  of  a  Christian. 

During  the  meal,  our  host  with  his  family  were  present. 
We  had  seen  them  all  on  our  arrival,  for  they  had  run  for- 
ward to  greet  and  welcome  us ;  but  vve  became  puzzled  as 
we  listened  to  the  conversation  of  the  ( liildren.  We  I  eard 
with  surprise  that  we  were  the  first  white  men  they  had  '^een 
for  a  period  of   nearly  ten  years,     lliey   Vvere  all  bfti»,  tiful 


32  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

children — robust,  and  full  of  life  and  animation.  There 
were  two  boys — Frank  and  Harry,  so  their  mother  called 
them ;  and  two  girls.  Of  the  girls,  one  was  of  a  very  dark 
complexion — in  fact,  quite  a  brunette,  and  with  a  Spanish  ex- 
pression of  face.  The  other  was  as  fair  as  her  sister  was 
dark.  The  fair  one  was  a  beautiful  little  creature,  with  flow- 
ing, yellow  hair,  and  deep  blue  eyes,  with  long,  dark  lashes. 
Her  name  was  Mary.  That  of  the  sister  was  Luisa.  They 
were  both  very  pretty,  but  very  unlike  each  other ;  and 
what  was  odd  to  me,  they  appeared  to  be  about  the  same  age 
and  size.  The  boys  were  also  of  like  size,  though  both 
much  older  than  their  sisters.  They  appeared  to  be  seven- 
teen or  more,  but  I  could  not  have  guessed  which  was  the 
elder.  Harry,  with  his  fair,  curling  hair,  and  red,  manly 
face,  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  his  father ;  while  the 
other  was  darker,  and  altogether  more  like  the  mother.  She 
herself  did  not  appear  to  be   much  over  thirty-five  years  of 


Age,  and  was  still  a  beautiful  and  evidently  a  light-hearted 
woman. 

Our  host  was  a  man  of  about  forty — a  tall,  well-formed 
man,  with  light,  ruddy  complexion,  and  hair  that  had  been 
fair  and  curling,  but  was  now  somewhat  gray.  He  had 
neither  beard  nor  whiskers ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  his  chin 
bore  evidence  that  he  had  freshly  shaved  himself  that  very 
day  ;  and  his  whole  appearance  was  that  of  a  man  who  regu- 
larly attended  to  the  duties  of  the  toilet.  There  was  also 
about  him  a  gentleman-like  bearing ;  and  his  address  and 
conversation  soon  convinced  all  of  us  that  we  were  in  the 
company  of  an  educated  man. 

The  dress  of  the  whole  family  was  peculiar.  The  man 
himself  wore  a  hunting  shirt  and  leggings  of  tanned  deer 
skin,  and  not  unlike  that  of  our  own  hunters.  The  boys 
were  similarly  attired,  but  we  could  see  that  they  had  a  sort 
of  homespun  linen  garment  underneath.  The  female  part  of 
the  family  were  dressed  in  clothes,  part  of  which  were  of  the 
same  homespun,  and  part  of  a  fine  skin,  that  of  the  fawn, 
dressed  to  the  softness  of  a  glove.     Several  hats  were  lying 


THE    DESERT   HOME.  35 

about ;  and  we  noticed  that  they  were  curiously  fabricated 
from  the  leaves  of  the  palmetto. 

While  we  were  eating,  the  negro  appeared  at  the  door, 
and  looking  in,  eyed  us  with  glances  of  extreme  curiosity. 
He  was  a  short,  stout  man,  black  as  jet,  and  apparently 
about  forty  years  oM.  His  head  was  covered  with  a  thick 
crop  of  small  curls,  that  appeared  to  form  an  even  surface, 
making  the  outline  of  the  skull  as  round  as  a  ball.  His 
teeth  were  very  large  and  white  and  anything  but  fierce — 
as  he  showed  them  only  when  he  smiled,  and  that  he  did  al- 
most continually.  There  was  something  very  pleasing  in 
the  expression  of  his  rich  black  eyes,  which  were  never  at 
rest,  but  kept  always  rolling  en  both  sides  of  his  flat  and 
expanded  nose. 

"  Cudjo,  drive  out  these  animals,"  said  the  woman,  or 
rather  lady,  we  should  call  her-  -for  she  was  evidently  en- 
titled to  be  so  styled.  Her  comni  ind,  or  more  properly  re- 
quest,— for  she  had  made  it  in  thaf.  tone, — was  obeyed  with 
alacrity.  Cudjo  leaped  into  the  floor,  and,  after  a  short 
while,  succeeded  in  turning  out  the  w^olf  dogs,  and  panthers, 
and  other  strange  animals,  that  up  to  this  time  had  been 
snarling  at  each  other,  among  our  J  eet,  to  the  no  small  terror 
of  several  of  our  party. 

All  these  things  were  so  strangvi,  that  w^e  watched  them 
with  interest  and  curiosity.  At  length  our  meal  was  ended ; 
and  as  we  were  most  anxious  to  have  everything  explained 
to  us,  we  signified  this  desire  to  our  host. 

"  Wait  until  night,"  said  he.  "  Around  the  cheerful  log 
fire  I  will  tell  you  my  story.  Meanwhile,  you  all  need  other 
refreshment  than  eating.  Come  to  the  lake,  then,  and  take 
a  bath.  The  sun  is  high  and  warm.  A  bath  will  refresh 
you,  after  your  dusty  travel." 

So  saying,  he  stepped  out  of  the  cottage,  and  proceeded 
towards  the  lake,  tollowed  by  all  of  our  party.  A  few  min- 
utes after,  we  were  refreshing  ourselves  in  the  crystal  water. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  day,  we  occupied  ourselves  at 
different  employments.     Some  went  back  to  the  mountain 


34  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

foot  for  the  mules  and  Mexicans  ;  w  liilc  the  rest  of  ns  strolled 
about  the  house  and  grounds,  evn  \'  now  and  llicn  stumbling 
upon  some  new  object  of  wonder. 

We  were  impatient  for  the  coming  of  night,  for  we  were 
wound  up  to  a  pitch  of  extreme  curiosity,  and  longed  for  an 
explanation  of  what  we  saw  around  us. 

Night  came  at  length ;  and,  after  an  excellent  supper,  we 
rJl  sat  around  the  cheerful  fire,  to  listen  to  the  strange  history 
ol  Robert  Rolfe — ^for  that  was  the  name  of  our  host. 


THE  DESERT    HOME.  35 


CHAPTER  V. 

rolfe's  early  history. 

"  Brothers,"  began  he,  "  I  am  of  your  own  race  although 
I  am  not  an  American.  I  am  an  Englishman.  I  was  born 
in  the  south  of  that  country,  something  more  than  forty  years 
ago.  My  father  was  a  yeoman — an  independent,  or,  as  he 
was  sometimes  styled,  a  gentleman  farmer.  Unfortunately, 
he  was  ajrnan  of  too  much  ambition  for  his  class.  He  was 
determined  that  1,  his  only  son,  should  be  a  gentleman,  in 
the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word  ;  that  is,  that  I  should  be 
educated  in  all  those  expensive  habits  and  accomplishments 
which  are  sure  to  lead  men  of  moderate  fortune  along  the 
direct  road  to  ruin.  This  was  not  wise  of  my  father  ;  but  it 
would  not  be  grateful  in  me  to  reflect  upon  a  fault  that  con- 
sisted in  his  too  great  fondness  for  myself.  I  believe  it  was 
the  only  fault  which  my  good,  kind  father  was  ever  charged 
with.  Beyond  this  somewhat  foolish  ambition,  his  character 
was  without  reproach  among  men. 

"  I  was  sent  to  those  schools  where  I  should  meet  the 
scions  of  the  aristocracy.  I  was  taught  to  dance,  to  ride,  and 
to  play.  I  was  allowed  spending  money  at  will ;  and  could 
call  for  champagne,  and  drink  it,  with  any  of  my  convpanions. 
At  the  end  of  my  college  life,  I  was  sent  upon  my  travels.  I 
made  the  tour  of  the  Rhine,  of  France,  and  Italy ;  and  after 
some  years  spent  in  this  way,  I  returned  to  England — sent 
for  to  be  present  at  the  death  of  my  father. 

"  I  was  now  sole  heir  to  his  property,  which  was  by  no 
means  inconsiderable  for  a  man  of  his  class.  I  soon  reduced 
it  in  bulk.  I  must  needs  live  in  London,  where  I  could  en- 
joy the  company  of  many  of  my  old  school  and  college  com- 
paniox^s.     I  was  welcome  amongst  them  while  my  purst  held 


36  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

out ;  for  many  of  them  were  needy  men — lawyers  without 
briefs,  and  officers  with  nothing  to  Hve  upon  but  their  pay. 
Of  course,  such  men  are  fond  of  play.  They  have  nothing 
to  lose,  and  all  to  win ;  and  it  was  but  a  short  year  or  two, 
until  they  had  won  from  me  the  best  part  of  my  patrimonial 
property.  I  was  on  the  eve  of  becoming  a  bankrupt.  But 
one  thing  saved  me — she  saved  me  1  " 

Here  our  host  pointed  to  his  wife,  who  sat  surrounded  by 
her  family  at  one  side  of  the  great  fireplace.  The  lady  held 
down  her  eyes  and  smiled,  while  the  children,  who  had  been 
listening  attentively,  all  turned  towards  her  with  looks  of 
interest. 

*'  Yes,"  continued  he,  "  Mary  saved  me.  We  had  been 
playmates  together  in  earlier  life  ;  and  at  this  time  we  again 
met.  We  felt  an  affection  for  each  other.  It  ended  in  our 
getting  married. 

"  Fortunately,  my  dissipated  life  had  not  destroyed,  as  it 
often  does  with  men,  all  my  virtuous  principles.  Many  of 
these,  that  had  been  early  instilled  into  my  mind  by  the 
teachings  of  a  good  mother,  still  remained  fixed  and  true. 

"  As  soon  as  we  were  married,  I  resolved  to  change  al- 
together my  mode  of  life.  But  this  is  not  so  easily  done  as 
men  imagine.  Once  you  are  surrounded  by  associates,  such 
as  mine  were — once  you  are  plunged  into  debts  and  obliga- 
tions— it  requires  both  courage  and  virtuous  determination  to 
meet  and  discharge  them.  It  requires  a  terrible  effort  to  free 
one's  self  from  evil  companions,  whose  interest  it  is  that  you 
should  still  remain  as  profligate  as  themselves.  But  I  was 
resolved  ;  and,  thanks  to  the  counsels  of  my  Mary,  I  suc- 
ceeded in  carrying  out  my  resolve. 

"  To  pay  my  debts,  I  was  compelled  to  sell  the  property 
left  me  by-  my  father.  This  done,  and  every  bill  discharged. 
I  found  myself  worth  only  five  hundred  pounds. 

"  My  little  wife,  there,  had  brought  me  the  sum  of  twenty- 
five  hundred ;  and  this  still  left  us  three  thousand  pounds 
with  which  to  begin  the  world.  Three  thousand  pounds  is 
not  much  to  live  upon  in  England — that  is,  among  the  class 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  37 

of  people  with  whom  we  had  hitherto  associated  ;  and  after 
spending  several  years  in  trying  to  increase  it,  I  found  that  it 
was  every  day  growing  less.  I  found,  after  three  years  en- 
gaged in  farming,  that  my  three  thousand  pounds  was  only 
worth  two.  I  was  told  that  this  sum  would  go  much  further 
in  America  ;  that  it  would  purchase  me  a  fine  home  ;  and, 
with  thoughts  of  providing  well  for  my  family,  I  embarked 
with  my  wife  and  children  for  New  York. 

"  There  I  found  the  very  man  whom  I  wanted — that  was, 
some  one  to  advise  me  how  to  begin  life  in  the  new  world. 
My  predilections  were  in  favor  of  agriculture ;  and  these 
were  encouraged  by  the  advice  of  him  whom  I  had  met. 
He  told  me  that  it  would  be  unwise  for  me  to  lay  out  my 
money  upon  new  or  uncleared  land  ;  as,  with  my  want  of 
experience  as  a  farmer,  I  would  have  to  pay  more  for  clear- 
ing it  of  its  timber  than  the  land  would  be  worth.  *  It  would 
be  better  for  you,'  continued  my  new  acquaintance,  '  to  buy 
a  tract  already  cleared  and  fenced,  with  a  good  house  upon 
it,  where  you  will  be  at  home  at  once.' 

"  I  admitted  the  truth  of  all  this  reasoning ;  but  would 
my  money  be  sufficient  for  this  ?  '  O,  yes,'  answered  he ; 
and  then  he  told  me  that  he  '  knew  of  a  farm  in  the  State 
of  Virginia' — a  plantation,  as  he  called  it,  that  would 
suit  me  exactly.  It  could  be  purchased  for  five  hundred 
pounds.  With  the  remainder  of  my  money,  I  should  be  able 
to  stock  it  handsomely. 

"  After  some  further  conversation,  I  found  that  the  plan- 
tation belonged  to  himself.  '  So  much  the  better,'  thought  I  ; 
and  in  the  end  I  bought  it  from  him,  and  set  out  immedi. 
ately  after  for  my  new  home." 


38  THE    DES Ikl     liu.ME. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    VIRGINIA    PLANTATION. 

"  I  FOUND  the  farm  everything  he  had  described  it — 
a  large  plantation  with  a  good  wooden  house,  and  well- 
enclosed  fields.  I  immediately  set  about  '  stocking '  it 
with  my  remaining  cash.  What  was  my  surprise  to  find 
that  I  must  spend  the  greater  part  of  this  in  buyi?ig  men  / 
Yes  ;  there  was  no  alternative.  There  were  no  laborers  to 
be  had  in  the  place,  except  such  as  were  slaves  ;  and  these 
[  must  either  buy  for  myself,  or  hire  from  their  masters, 
H'hich,  in   point  of  morality,    amounted   to  the   same  thing. 

"  Thinking  that  I  might  treat  them  with  at  least  as  much 
humanity  as  they  appeared  to  receive  from  others,  I  chose 
the  former  course;  and  purchasing  a  number  of  blacks, 
both  men  and  women,  I  began  life  as  a  planter.  After 
such  a  bargain  as  that,  I  did  not  deserve  to  prosper ;  and  I 
did  not  prosper,  as  you  shall  see. 

"  My  first  crop  failed ;  in  fact,  it  scarce  returned  me 
the  seed.  The  second  was  still  worse  ;  and  to  my  mortifica- 
tion, I  now  ascertained  the  cause  of  the  failure.  I  had 
come  into  possession  of  a  '  worn  out '  farm.  The  land 
looked  well,  and,  on  sight,  you  would  have  called  it  a  fer- 
tile tract.  When  I  first  saw  it  myself,  I  was  delighted  with 
my  purchase,  which  seemed,  indeed,  a  great  bargain  for  the 
small  sum  of  money  I  had  paid.  But  appearances  are  often 
deceptive ;  and  never  was  there  a  greater  deception  than  my 
beautiful  plantation  in  Virginia.  It  was  utterly  worthless. 
It  had  been  cropped  for  many  years  with  maize,  and  cotton, 
and  tobacco  These  had  been  regularly  carried  off  the 
land,  and  not  a  stalk  or  blade  suffered  to  return  to  the  soil. 
As  a  natural  fact,  known  to  almost  every  one,  the  vegetable 


THE    DKSERT    HOME.  30 

or  org^aaic  matter  will  thus  in  time  V>rcoixie  exhausted,  and 
nothin.i;,  wili  remain  but  inor^^ar.ic  or  purely  mineral  sub- 
stances, which  of  themselves  cannot  nourish  vegetation,  and 
of  course  can  give  no  crop.  This  is  the  reason  why  manure 
is  spread  upon  land,  the  manure  consisting  of  substances 
th.it  are  for  the  most  part  organic,  and  containing  the  prin- 
ciples of  life  and  vegetation.  Of  course,  gentlemen,  these 
things  are  known  to  you  ;  but  you  will  pardon  my  digres- 
sion, as  my  children  are  listening  to  me,  and  I  never  lose  an 
opportunity  of  instructing  them  in  facts  that  may  hereafter 
be  useful  to  them. 

'"  Well,  as  I  have  said,  I  had  no  crops,  or  rather  very 
bad  ones,  for  the  first  and  second  years.  On  the  third  it 
was,  if  possible,  still  worse  ;  and  on  the  fourth  and  fifth  no 
better  than  ever.  I  need  liardly  add  that  by  this  time  1  was 
ruined,  or  very  nearly  so.  The  expense  of  feeding  and 
clothing  my  poor  negroes  had  brought  me  in  debt  to  a  con- 
siderable amount.  I  could  not  have  lived  longer  on  my 
worthless  plantation,  even  had  I  desired  it.  I  was  com- 
pelled, in  order  to  pay  my  debts,  to  sell  out  everything — 
farm,  cattle,  and  negroes.  No,  I  did  not  sell  all.  There 
was  one  honest  fellow,  to  whom  both  Mary  and  I  had  become 
attached.  I  was  resolved  not  to  sell  him  into  slavery.  He 
had  served  us  faithfully.  It  was  he  who  first  told  me  how 
I  had  been  tricked ;  and,  sympathizing  in  my  misfortune,  he 
endeavored,  both  by  industry  on  his  own  part,  and  by  en- 
couraging his  fellow-laborers,  to  make  the  ungrateful  soil 
yield  me  a  return.  His  efforts  had  been  vain,  but  I  deter- 
mined to  repay  him  for  his  rude  but  honest  friendship.  I 
gave  him  his  liberty.  He  would  not  accept  it.  He  would 
not  part  from  us.     He  is  there  1  " 

As  tie  narrator  said  this,  he  pointed  to  Cud  jo,  who  stood 
hanging  by  the  door  post ;  and,  delighted  at  these  com- 
pliments which  were  being  paid  him,  was  showing  his  white 
teeth  in  a  broad  and  affectionate  smile. 

Rolfe  cc«itinued : — 

"  When  the  sale  was  completed,  and  the  account  settled, 


40  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

I  found  that  I  liac  /ist  five  liund'cd  jioinuls  left.  I  liad 
now  some  experienv  e  in  farming;  and  I  resolved  to  move 
out  to  the  west — imD  the  great  Valley  of  the  Missis'appi. 
I  knew  that  there  my  five  hundred  pounds  would  still  set  me 
up  again  in  a  farm  as  big  as  I  wanted,  where  the  timber  \vas 
still  growing  upon  it. 

"  Just  at  this  time  my  eye  fell  upon  some  flaming  adver- 
tisements in  the  newspapers,  about  a  new  city  which  was 
then  being  built  at  the  junction  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers.  It  was  called  '  Cairo,'  and  as  it  was  situated  on 
the  fork  betw^een  two  of  the  largest  and  most  navigable 
rivers  in  the  world,  it  could  not  fail  in  a  few  years  to  become 
one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  world.  So  said  the  advertise- 
ment. There  were  maps  of  the  new  city  everywhere,  and 
on  these  were  represented  theaters,  and  banks,  and  court 
houses,  and  churches  of  different  religious  denominations. 
There  were  lots  offered  for  sale,  and,  along  with  these,  small 
tracts  of  land  adjoining  the  town,  so  that  the  inhabitants 
might  combine  the  occupations  of  merchant  and  agriculturist. 
'  These  lots  were  offered  very  cheap,'  thought  I  ;  and  I  did 
not  rest,  night  nor  day,  until  I  had  purchased  one  of  them, 
and  also  a  small  farm  in  the  adjacent  country. 

"  Almost  as  soon  as  I  had  made  the  purchase,  I  set  out 
to  take  possession.  Of  course,  I  took  with  me  my  wife  and 
children.  I  had  now  three — the  two  eldest  being  twins, 
and  about  nine  years  old.  I  did  not  intend  to  return  to 
Virginia  any  more.  Our  faithful  Cudjo  accompanied  us  to 
our  far  western  home. 

"  It  was  a  severe  journey,  but  not  so  severe  as  the  trial 
that  awaited  us  on  our  arrival  at  '  Cairo.'  As  soon  as  I 
came  within  sight  of  the  place,  I  saw,  to  use  an  expressive 
phrase,  that  I  had  been  *  sold '  again.  There  was  but  one 
house,  and  that  stood  upon  the  only  ground  that  was  not  a 
swamp.  Nearly  the  whole  site  of  the  proposed  city  was 
under  water,  and  the  part  not  wholly  inundated  consisted  of 
a  dark  morass,  covered  with  trees  and  tall  reeds  !  There 
were  no  theaters,  no  churches,  no  court  house,  no  banks, 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  4I 

nor  any  likelihood  there  ever  would  be  any,  except  such  as 
plight  be  built  to  keep  back  the  water  from  the  only  house 
in  the  place — a  sort  of  rough  hotel,  filled  with  swearing 
boatman. 

"  I  had  landed,  of  course ;  and,  after  putting  up  at  the 
hotel,  proceeded  in  search  of  my  '  property.'  I  found  my 
tovvu  lot  in  a  marsh,  which  took  me  over  the  ankles  in  mud. 
As  for  my  farm,  I  was  compelled  to  get  a  boat  to  visit  it ;  and 
after  sailing  all  over  it  without  being  able  to  touch  bottom 
I  returned  to  the  hotel,  heartless  and  disgusted. 

"  By  the  next  steamboat  that  came  along,  I  embarked  for 
St.  Louis,  where  I  sold  both  lot  and  farm  for  a  mere  trifle. 

"  I  need  not  say  that  I  was  mortified  at  all  this.  I  was 
almost  heartbroken  when  I  reflected  ort  my  repeated  failures, 
and  thought  of  my  young  wife  and  children.  I  could  have 
bitterly  cursed  both  America  and  the  Americans,  had  that 
been  of  any  use  ;  and  yet  such  a  thing  would  have  been  as 
unjust  as  immoral.  It  is  true,  I  had  been  twice  outrageously 
swindled  ;  but  the  same  thing  had  happened  to  me  in  my 
own  country,  and  I  had  suffered  in  the  same  way  by  those 
who  professed  to  be  my  friends.  There  are  bad  men  in 
every  country — men  wilhng  to  take  advantage  of  generosity 
and  inexperience.  It  does  not  follow  that  all  are  so,  and  we 
hope  far  less  than  the  half ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  bad  points  of  one  country  are  more  certain  to  be  heard 
of  in  another  than  its  good  ones.  When  I  look  to  the 
schemes  and  speculations  which  have  been  got  up  in  Eng- 
land, and  which  have  enriched  a  few  accomplished  rogues, 
by  the  ruin  of  thousands  of  honest  men,  I  cannot,  as  an 
Englishman,  accuse  our  American  cousins  of  being  greater 
swindlers  than  ourselves.  It  is  true,  I  have  been  deceived 
by  them  ;  but  it  was  from  the  want  of  proper  judgment  in 
myself,  arising  from  a  foolish  and  ill-directed  education.  I 
should  have  been  equally  ill  treated  in  the  purchase  oi  a 
horse  at  Tattersall's,  or  a  pound  of  tea  in  Piccadilly  had  I 
been  equally  unacquainted  with  the  value  of  the  articles. 
We  both,  as  nations,  have  erred.     Neither  of  us  can,  with 


42  THE    DESERT    H(3ME. 

grace,  cast  a  stone  at  the  other,  and  as  for  myself,  why,  look 
there !  "  said  Rolfe,  smiling,  and  pointmg  to  his  family, 
•'  two  of  my  children  only  are  Englishmen  ;  the  others  are 
little  Yankees.  Almost  every  Englishman  can  say  some- 
thing similar.     Why,  then,  should  we  sow  jealousy  between 


THE   DESERT    HUxME,  ^^ 


CHAPTER  VIL 

TBE  CARAVAN  AND  ITS  FATE. 

Our  host  continued  :  — 

"  Well,  my  friends,  I  was  in  St.  Louis.  I  had  now  left  out 
of  my  three  thousand  pounds  not  quite  a  hundred ;  and  this 
would  soon  melt  away,  should  I  remain  idle.  What  was  I 
to  do  ? 

"  There  happened  to  be  a  young  Scotchman  at  the  hotel 
where  I  had  put  up.  He  was,  like  myself,  a  stranger  in  St. 
Louis  ;  and  being  from  the  '  old  country,'  we  soon  became  ac- 
quainted, and,  very  naturally  under  the  circumstances,  shared 
each  other's  confidence.  I  told  him  of  my  blunders  in  Vir- 
ginia and  Cairo,  and  I  believe  that  he  really  felt  sympathy 
for  me.  In  return,  he  detailed  to  me  part  of  his  past  history, 
and  also  his  plans  for  the  future.  He  had  been  for  severai 
years  employed  in  a  copper  mine,  away  near  the  center  of 
the  Great  iimerican  Desert,  in  the  mountains  called  Los 
Mimbres,  that  lie  west  of  the  Del  Norte'  River. 

"  They  are  a  wonderful  people,  these  same  Scotch.  They 
are  but  a  small  nation,  yet  their  influence  is  felt  everywhere 
upon  the  globe.  Go  where  you  will,  you  will  find  them  in 
positions  of  trust  and  importance  ;  always  prospering,  yet,  in 
the  midst  of  prosperity,  still  remembering,  with  strong  feel 
ings  of  attachment,  the  land  of  their  birth.  They  manage 
the  marts  of  London — the  commerce  of  India — the  fur  trade 
of  America, — and  the  mines  of  INIexico.  Over  all  the  Ameri- 
can wilderness  you  will  meet  them,  side  by  side  with  the 
backwoods  pioneer  himself,  and  even  pushing  him  from  his 
own  ground.  From  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  Arctic  Sea, 
they  have  impressed  with  their  Gaelic  names  rock,  river. 
and*  mountain ;    and  many   an  Indian  tribe  owns   a  Scotch- 


44  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

man  for  its  chief.  I  say,  again,  they  are  a  wonderful 
people. 

"  Well,  my  St.  Louis  Scotchman  had  come  from  his  mine 
upon  a  visit  of  business  to  the  United  States,  and  was  now 
on  his  return  by  St.  Louis  and  Santa  Fe.  His  wife  was 
along  with  him — a  fine-looking  young  Mexican  woman,  with 
only  one  child.  He  was  waiting  for  a  small  caravan  of 
Spanish  people,  who  were  about  to  start  for  New  Mexico. 
With  these  he  intended  to  travel,  so  as  to  be  in  safety  from 
the  Indians  along  the  route. 

"  As  soon  as  he  understood  my  situation,  he  advised  me 
to  accompany  him — offering  me  a  lucrative  situation  in  the 
mine,  of  which  he  was  the  sole  manager. 

"  Disgusted  as  I  then  was  with  the  treatment  I  had  re- 
ceived in  the  United  States,  I  embraced  his  proposal  with 
alaf^rity ;  and,  under  his  superintendence,  I  set  about  mak- 
ing preparations  for  the  long  journey  that  lay  before  us. 
The  money  I  had  left  enabled  me  to  equip  myself  in  a  toler- 
able manner.  I  bought  a  wagon  and  two  pair  of  stout 
oxen.  This  was  to  carry  my  wife  and  children,  with  such 
furniture  and  provisions  as  would  be  necessary  on  the  jour- 
ney. I.  had  no  need  to  hire  a  teamster,  as  our  faithful  Cudjo 
was  to  accompany  us ;  and  I  knew  there  was  no  better  hand 
to  manage  a  team  of  oxe«  than  Cudjo.  For  myself,  I  pur- 
chased a  horse,  a  rifle,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  that  are 
required  by  those  who  cross  t\e  great  prairies.  My  boys, 
Harry  and  Frank,  had  also  a  omall  rifle  each,  which  we  had 
brought  with  us  from  Virginia  ;  and  Harry  was  very  proud 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  could  handle  his. 

"  Everything  being  prepared,  we  bade  adieu  to  St.  Louis, 
and  set  forth  upon  the  wild  prairies. 

"  Ours  was  but  a  small  caravan,  as  the  large  one  which 
crosses  annually  to  Santa  Fe  had  taken  its  departure  some 
weeks  before.  There  were  about  twenty  men  of  us,  and  less 
than  half  that  number  of  wagons.  The  men  were  nearly  all 
Mexicans,  who  had  been  to  the  United  States  to  procure 
■y^ne  pieces  of  cannon,  for  which  they  had  been  sent  by  the 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  45 

governor  of  Santa  Fe.  They  had  the  cannon  along  with 
them— two  brass  howitzers,  with  their  carriages  and  caissons. 

"  My  friends,  I  need  not  tell  you  the  various  incidents  that 
befell  us,  in  crossing  the  great  plains  and  rivers  ^.hat  lie  be- 
tween St.  Louis  and  Santa  Fe.  Upon  the  plains  we  fell  in 
with  the  Pawnees  ;  and  near  the  crossing  of  the  Arkansas,  we 
encountered  a  small  tribe  of  Cheyennes  ;  but  nether  of  these 
bands  offered  us  any  molestation.  When  we  were  nearly 
two  months  on  our  journey,  the  party  left  the  usual  trail 
taken  by  the  traders,  and  struck  across  to  ore  of  the  head 
tributaries  of  the  Canadian  River.  This  thty  did  to  avoid 
meeting  the  Arapahoes,  who  were  hostile  ^o  the  Mexican 
people.  We  kept  down  the  banks  of  this  "stream  as  far  as 
the  Canadian  itself ;  and  then,  turning  westward,  traveled 
up  the  latter.  We  traveled  upon  the  right  or  southern  bank, 
for  we  had  forded  the  Canadian  on  reaching  it. 

"  It  soon  became  apparent  that  we  had  got  into  a  very 
rough  and  difficult  country.  It  was  the  morning  of  the  sec- 
ond day,  after  we  had  turned  westward  up  the'  Canadian 
River.  We  were  making  but  slow  progress,  as  the  trail  we 
had  to  follow  was  intersected  at  frequent  intervals  with  buffalo 
roads  running  into  the  river  from  the  south.  Many  of  these 
were  deep  ditches,  although  quite  r*ry ;  and,  every  now  and 
then,  we  were  compelled  to  stop  the  whole  train,  until  we 
levellc  in  the  banks,  and  made  i  road  for  the  wagons  to 
pass. 

"  In  crossing  one  of  these  rnts,  the  tongue  of  my  wagon 
was  broken ;  and  Cudjo  and  I  having  loosed  out  the  oxen, 
set  about  splicing  it  the  best  way  we  could.  The  rest  of  the 
train  was  ahead  of  us,  and  k^pt  moving  on.  My  friend,  the 
young  Scotchman,  seeing  that  we  had  stopped,  came  gallop- 
ing back,  and  offered  to  remain  and  assist  us.  I  declined 
his  offer,  telling  him  to  move  on  with  the  rest,  as  I  would 
easily  overtake  them ;  ^  t  all  events,  I  would  get  up,  when- 
ever they  halted  for  their  night-camp.  It  was  not  unfrequent 
for  a  single  wagon,  w'th  its  attendants,  thus  to  stay  behind 
the  r^st  tQ    >\skp  some  repairs.     When  it  did  not  come  up 


/>  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

io  the  night  encampment,  a  party  v/ould  go  back  early  the 
next  morning  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  delay.  P'or  several 
years  before  the  time  I  am  telling  you  about,  there  had  been 
no  trouble  with  the  Indians  in  crossing  the  praii^s  ;  and 
consequently  the  people  of  the  caravans  had  grown  less  cau- 
tious. Besides,  we  were  then  in  a  part  of  the  country  where 
Indians  had  been  seldom  seen,  as  it  was  an  extremely  desert 
place,  without  grass  or  game  of  any  description.  On  this 
account,  and  knowing  that  Cudjo  was  an  excellent  carpen  • 
ter,  I  had  no  fears  but  that  I  could  be  up  with  the  others  be- 
fore night.  So,  by  my  persuasion,  the  young  Scotchman 
left  me,  and  rode  on  to  look  after  his  own  wagons, 

"  After  about  an  hour's  hammering  and  splicing,  Cudjo  and 
I  got  the  tongue  all  right  again  ;  and,  '  hitching  up  '  the 
oxen,  we  drove  on  after  our  companions.  We  had  not  gone 
a  mile,  when  the  shoeing  of  one  of  the  wheels — that  had 
shrunk  from  the  extreme  dryness  of  the  atmosphere — rolled 
off,  and  the  fellies  came  very  near  flying  asunder.  We  were 
luckily  able  to  prevent  this,  b}^  suddenly  stopping,  and  set- 
ting a  prop  under  the  body  of  the  wagon.  This,  as  you  may 
perceive,  was  a  much  more  serious  accident  than  the  break- 
ing of  the  tongue  ;  and  at  first  I  thought  of  galloping  for- 
ward, and  asking  some  of  our  companions  to  come  back  to 
my  assistance.  But  in  eonsequence  of  my  inexperience  upon 
the  prairies,  I  knew  that  I  had  given  them  considerable 
trouble  along  the  route,  at  which  some  of  them  had  mur- 
mured,— being  Mexicans, — and  in  one  or  two  instances  had 
refused  to  assist  me.  I  might  bring  bac  k  the  young  Scotch- 
man, it  was  true,  br.t  —  '  Come  1  '  cried  I,  '  it  is  not  yet  as 
bad  as  Cairo.  Come,  Cudjo !  we  shall  do  it  ourselves,  and 
be  indebted  to  no  one.' 

*'  '  Dat's  right,  Massa  Roff  !  '  replied  Cudjo ;  '  ebery  man 
put  him  own  shoulder  to  him  own  wheel,  eke  de  wheel  no 
run  good.' 

"  And  so  the  brave  fellow  and  1  stripped  off  our  coats, 
and  set  to  work  in  earnest.  My  dear  Mary  here,  who  had 
been  brought  up  a  delicate  lady,  but  <"ould  suit  herself  grace- 


THE  DESERT  HOME.  47' 

''•ally  to  every  situation,  helped  us  all  she  could,  cheering  us 
e\eiy  now  and  then 'with  an  allusion  to  Cairo,  and  our  farm 
under  the  water.  It  has  always  a  comforting  effect  to  per- 
sons in  situations  of  difficulty,  to  reflect  that  they  might  still 
).>e  worse  off;  and  such  reflections  will  often  prop  up  the 
drooping  spirits,  and  lead  to  success  in  conquering  the  diffi- 
culty. '  Never  give  up  '  is  a  good  old  motto,  and  God  will 
help  them  who  show  perseverance  and  energy. 

"  So  did  it  happen  with  us.  By  dint  of  wedging  and  ham- 
mering, we  succeeded  in  binding  the  wheel  as  fast  as  ever ; 
but  it  was  near  night  before  we  had  finished  the  job.  When 
we  had  got  it  upon  the  axle  again,  and  were  ready  for  the 
road,  we  saw,  with  some  apprehension,  that  the  sun  was  set- 
ting. We  knew  we  could  not  travel  by  night,  not  knowing 
what  road  to  take  ;  and,  as  we  were  close  to  water,  we  re- 
solved to  stay  where  we  were  until  morning. 

"  We  were  up  before  day,  and  having  cooked  and  eaten 
our  breakfast,  moved  forward  upon  the  track  made  by  the 
caravan.  We  wondered  that  none  of  our  companions  had 
come  back  during  the  night — as  this  is  usual  in  such  cases, — 
but  we  expected  every  moment  to  meet  some  of  them  re- 
turning to  look  after  us.  We  traveled  on,  however,  until 
noon,  and  still  none  of  them  appeared.  We  could  see  before 
us  a  rough  tract  of  country,  with  rocky  hills  and  some  trees 
growing  in  the  valleys ;  and  the  trail  we  were  following  evi- 
dently led  among  these. 

"  As  we  pushed  forward,  we  heard  among  the  hills  a  loud, 
crashing  report,  like  the  bursting  of  a  bombshell.  What 
rould  it  mean?  We  knew  there  were  some  shells  along  with 
l:ie  howitzers.  Were  our  comrades  attacked  by  Indians? 
<\nd  was  it  one  of  the  cannon  they  had  fired  upon  them  ?  No  ; 
that  could  not  be.  There  was  but  one  report,  and  I  knew 
that  the  discharge  of  a  shell  from  a  howitzer  must  give  two— . 
that  which  accompanies  the  discharge,  and  then  the  bursting; 
of  the  bomb  itself.  Could  one  of  the  shells  have  burst  by 
accide'.il  ?  That  was  more  likely;  and  we  halted,  and  lis- 
tened Un   further  sounds.     \\'e  stopped  for    nearly  half  an 


48  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

hour,  but  could  hear  nothing,  and  we  then  moved  on  again. 
We  were  filled  with  apprehension — less  from  the  report  we 
had  heard  than  from  the  fact  that  none  of  the  men  had  come 
back  to  see  what  delayed  us.  We  still  followed  the  track  of 
the  wagons.  We  saw  that  they  must  have  made  a  long  march 
on  the  preceding  day,  for  it  was  near  sunset  when  we 
entered  among  the  hills,  and  as  yet  we  had  not  reached  their 
camp  of  the  night  before.  At  length  we  came  in  sight  of 
it ;  and,  O  horror,  what  a  sight !  My  blood  runs  cold  when 
I  recall  it  to  my  memory.  There  were  the  wagons — most 
of  them  with  their  tilts  torn  off,  and  part  of  their  contents 
scattered  over  the  ground.  There  were  the  cannons,  too, 
with  fires  smoldering  near  them,  but  not  a  human  being 
was  in  sight.  Yes,  there  were  human  beings — dead  men, 
lying  over  the  ground ;  and  living  things, — wolves  they  were, 
— growling,  and  quarreling,  and  tearing  the  flesh  from  their 
bodies.  Some  of  the  animals  that  had  belonged  to  the 
caravan  were  also  prostrate — dead  horses,  mules,  and  oxen. 
The  others  were  not  to  be  seen. 

"  We  were  all  horror-struck  at  the  sight.  We  saw  at  once 
that  our  companions  had  been  attacked  and  slaughtered 
by  some  band  of  savage  Indians.  We  would  have  retreated, 
but  it  was  now  too  late,  for  we  were  close  in  to  the  camp  before 
we  had  seen  it.  Had  the  savages  still  been  upon  the  ground, 
retreat  would  be  of  no  avail.  But  I  knew  that  they  must 
have  been  gone  some  time,  from  the  havoc  the  wolves  had 
made  in  their  absence. 

"  I  left  my  wife  by  our  wagon,  where  Harry  and  Frank 
remained  with  their  little  rifles  ready  to  guard  her,  and  along 
with  Cud  jo  I  went  forward  to  view  the  bloody  scene.  We 
chased  the  wolves  from  their  repast.  There  was  a  pack  of 
more  than  fifty  of  these  hideous  animals,  and  they  only 
ran  a  short  distance  from  us.  On  reaching  the  ground,  we 
saw  that  the  bodies  were  those  of  our  late  comrades,  but  they 
were  all  so  mutilated  that  we  could  not  distinguish  a  single 
one  of  them.  They  had  every  one  been  scalped  by  the 
Indians ;  and  it  was  fearful  to  look  upon  them  as  they  lay. 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  49 

1  saw  the  fragments  of  one  of  the  shells  that  had  burst  in  I'^.c 
middle  of  the  camp,  and  had  torn  two  or  three  of  the  wagons 
to  pieces.  There  had  not  been  many  articles  of  m*erchandise 
in  the  wagons,  as  it  was  not  a  traders'  caravan ;  but  such 
things  as  they  carried,  that  could  be  of  any  value  to  the 
Indians,  had  been  taken  away.  The  other  articles,  most  of 
ithem  heavy  and  cumbersome  things,  were  lying  over  the 
ground,  some  of  them  broken.  It  was  evident  that  the 
savages  had  gone  off  in  a  hurry.  Perhaps  they  had  been 
frightened  by  the  bursting  of  the  shell,  not  knowing  what  it 
was,  and  from  its  terrible  effects, — which  they  no  doubt 
witnessed  and  felt, — believing  it  to  be  the  doing  of  the  Great 
Spirit. 

"  I  looked  on  all  sides  for  my  friend,  the  young  Scotch- 
man, but  I  could  not  distinguish  his  body  from  the  rest.  I 
looked  around,  too,  for  his  wife — who  was  the  only  woman 
besides  Mary  that  accompanied  the  caravan.  Her  body  was 
not  to  be  seen.  '  No  doubt,'  said  I  to  Cudjo,  *  the  savages 
have  carried  her  off  alive.'  At  this  moment,  we  heard  the 
howls  and  hoarse  worrying  of  dogs,  with  the  fiercer  snarling 
of  wolves,  as  though  the  dogs  were  battling  with  these  ani- 
mals. The  noises  came  from  a  thicket  near  the  camp.  We 
knew  that  the  miner  had  brought  with  him  two  large  dogs 
from  St.  Louis.  It  must  be  they.  We  ran  in  the  direction 
of  the  thicket,  and  dashed  in  among  the  bushes.  Guided  by 
the  noises,  we  kept  on,  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  objects 
that  had  attracted  us.  Two  large  dogs,  foaming,  and  torn, 
and  covered  with  blood,  were  battling  againet  several 
wolves,  and  keeping  them  off  from  some  dark  object  that 
lay  among  the  leaves.  We  saw  that  the  dark  object  was  a 
woman,  and,  clinging  around  her  neck,  and  screaming  with 
terror,  was  a  beautiful  child  !  At  a  glance,  we  saw  that  the 
woman  was  dead,  and — " 

Here  the  narrative  of  our  host  was  suddenly  interrupted. 

M'Knight,  the  miner,  who  was  one  of  our   party,  and  who 

had  appeared  laboring  under  some   excitement   during  the 

whole  of  the  recital,  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet,  exclaiming, — 

4 


go  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

"  O  God  !  my  wife — my  poor  wife  1  O,  Rolfe  !  Roite? 
do  you  not  know  me  ?  " 

"  M'Knight  '  "  tried  Kolfe,  springing  up  with  an  air  of 
astonishment — ''  M'Knight !  it  is  he  indeed  !  " 

"  My  wife  !  my  poor  wife  !  "  continued  the  miner,  in  ac 
cents  of  sorrow,  "  I  knew  they  had  killed  her.  I  saw  hei 
remains  afterwards  ;  but  my  child  ?  O,  Rolfe  !  what  of  m) 
child  ? " 

"  She  is  there  I^''  said  our  host,  pomting  to  the  darkest  oi 
the  two  girls,  and  the  next  moment  the  miner  had  lifted  tht 
little  Luisa  in  his  arms,  and  was  covering  her  with  his  kissesi 
He  was  her  father  I 


XU£   DLbEKi    lIOMS«  gt 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    miner's    story. 

It  would  be  very  difficult,  my  young  readers,  to  describe 
to  you  the  scene  which  followed  this  unexpected  recognition. 
The  family  had  all  risen  to  their  feet,  and  with  cries  and 
tears  in  their  eyes  clung  around  the  little  Luisa,  as  though 
they  were  about  to  lose  her  forever.  And,  indeed,  it  is  likely 
that  an  indistinct  thought  of  this  kind  had  tiitted  across  their 
minds,  when  they  saw  that  she  was  no  longer  their  sister — 
for  they  had  almost  forgotten  that  she  was  not  so,  and  they 
loved  her  as  well  as  if  she  was.  Up  to  this  time,  none  of 
them  had  thought  of  her  in  any  other  way  than  as  a  sister ; 
and  Harry,  with  whom  she  was  a  great  favorite,  used  to  call 
her  his  "  dark  sister ;  "  while  the  younger,  Mary,  was  known 
as  the  "  fair  "  one. 

In  the  midst  of  the  group  stood  the  little  brunette,  like  the 
rest  overwhelmed  with  singular  emotions,  but  calmer,  and  ap- 
parently more  mistress  of  her  feelings  than  any  of  them. 

The  traders  and  hunters  were  all  upon  their  teet  congrat- 
ulating M'Knight  on  the  happy  event;  while  each  of  them 
shook  hands  with  our  host  and  his  wife,  whom  they  now 
remembered  having  heard  of,  as  well  as  the  story  of  the 
massacre.  Old  Cudjo  leaped  over  the  floor,  whipping  the 
panthers  and  wolf  dogs,  and  cutting  various  capers,  while 
the  I'ery  animals  themselves  howled  with  a  sort  of  fierce  joy. 
Our  host  went  into  an  inner  apartment  of  the  cabin,  and 
presently  returned  with  a  large  jar  of  brown  earthenware. 
Cups  cut  out  of  the  calabash  were  set  upon  the  table ;  and 
into  these  a  red  liquid  was  poured  from  the  jar,  and  we  were 
all  invited  to  drink.  What  was  our  surprise,  on  tasting  the 
Ipeverage,  to  find  that  it  was  wine — wine  in  the  middle  of  the 


52  THE   DESERT   HOME: 

desert  1  But  it  was  so — excellent  wine — home  made,  as  our 
host  informed  us — pressed  from  the  wild  muscadine  grapes 
that  grew  in  plenty  through  the  valley. 

As  soon  as  we  had  all  passed  the  cups  of  wine,  and  had 
got  fairly  seated  again,  M'Knight,  at  the  request  of  Rolfe, 
took  up  the  thread  of  the  story,  in  order  to  detail  how  he  had 
escaped  from  the  Indians  on  that  fearful  night.  His  story 
^'as  a  short  one,  and  ran  as  follows  • — 

"  After  I  left  you,"  said  he,  addressing  Rolfe,  "  where 
you  had  broken  your  wagon,  I  rode  on,  and  overtook  the 
caravan.  The  road,  as  you  may  remember,  became  smooth 
and  level ;  and  as  there  appeared  to  be  no  good  camping 
ground  nearer  than  the  hills  we  kept  on  for  them  without 
stopping.  It  was  near  sundown  when  we  reached  the  little 
stream  where  you  saw  the  wagons.  There,  of  course,  we 
halted,  and  formed  our  camp.  I  did  not  expect  you  to  come 
in  for  an  hour  or  so  later,  as  I  calculated  that  it  would  take 
you  about  that  length  of  time  to  mend  the  tongue.  We 
kindled  fires,  and,  having  cooked  our  suppers  and  eaten 
them,  were  sitting  around  the  logs,  chatting  smoking,  and 
some  of  the  Mexicans,  as  is  their  custom,  playing  at  moJite. 
We  had  put  out  no  guard,  as  we  had  no  expectation  that 
there  were  Indians  in  that  quarter.  Some  of  the  men  said 
they  had  traveled  the  trail  before,  and  had  never  met  an 
Indian  within  fifty  miles  of  the  place.  At  length  it  became 
dark,  and  I  began  to  grow  uneasy  about  you,  fearing  you 
might  not  be  able  to  make  out  our  trail  in  the  night.  Leav- 
ing my  wife  and  child  by  one  of  the  fires,  I  climbed  a  hill 
that  looked  in  the  direction  you  should  have  come ;  but  I 
could  see  nothing  for  the  darkness.  I  stood  for  some  time 
listening,  thinking  I  might  hear  the  rattle  of  your  wheels,  or 
some  one  of  you  talking.  All  at  once  a  yell  broke  upon 
my  ears,  that  caused  me  to  turn  towards  the  camp  with  a 
feeling  of  consternation.  I  well  knew  the  meaning  of  that 
yell.  I  knew  it  was  the  war-cry  of  the  Arapahoes.  I  saw 
savage  figures  dashing  about  in  the  red  glare  of  the  fires.  I 
beard  shots  and  shouts,  and   screams  and  groans ;  andj 


THb    DESERi    ^iOMt. 


53 


tmong  the  rest,  I  recognized  the  voice  of  my  wife   calhng 
me  by  name. 

"  1  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  but  ran  down  the  hill,  and 
flung  myself  int«  the  thick  of  the  fight,  which  was  now  rag- 
ing fiercely.  I  had  nothing  in  my  hands  but  a  large  knife, 
with  which  I  struck  on  all  sides,  prostrating  several  of  the 
savages.  Here  I  fought  for  a  moment,  and  there  I  ran,  call- 
ing for  my  wife.  I  passed  through  among  the  wagons,  and 
on  all  sides  of  the  camp,  crying,  *  Luisa  ! '  There  was  no 
answer ;  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  Again  I  was  face  to 
face  with  painted  savages,  and  battling  with  desperation. 
Most  of  my  comrades  were  soon  killed,  and  I  was  forced  out 
among  the  bushes,  and  into  the  darkness,  by  one  of  the 
Indians,  who  pressed  upon  me  with  his  spear.  I  felt  the 
weapon  pass  through  my  thigh,  and  I  fell,  empaled  upon  the 
shaft.  The  Indian  fell  upon  top  of  me  ;  but,  before  he  could 
struggle  up  again,  I  had  thrust  him  with  my  knife,  and  he 
lay  senseless. 

"  I  rose  to  my  feet,  and  succeeded  in  drawing  out  the  spear. 
I  saw  that  the  struggle  had  ceased  around  the  fires  :  and  be- 
lieving that  my  comrades,  as  well  as  my  wife  and  child,  were 
all  dead  I  turned  my  back  upon  the  fires,  and  stole  off  into 
the  thicket  determined  to  get  as  far  as  possible  from  the 
camp.  I  had  not  gone  more  than  three  hundred  yards  when 
t  fell,  exhausted  with  the  loss  of  blood  and  the  pain  of  my 
wound.  I  had  fallen  near  some  rocks  at  the  bottom  of  a' 
precipice,  where  I  saw  there  was  a  small  crevice  or  cave.  I 
had  still  strength  enough  left  to  enable  me  to  reach  this  cave 
and  crawl  into  it ;  but  I  fainted  as  soon  as  the  effort  was 
over. 

"  I  must  have  lain  insensible  for  many  hours.  When  I 
came  to  consciousness  again,  I  saw  that  daylight  was  shining 
into  the  cave.  I  felt  that  I  was  very  weak,  and  could  scarce 
move  myself.  My  wound  stared  me  in  the  face,  still  un- 
dressed, but  the  blood  had  ceased  flowing  of  its  own  accord. 
I  tore  up  my  shirt,  and  dressed  it  as  well  as  I  was  able  ; 
and  then,  getting  nearer  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  I  lay  and 


54  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

listened.  I  could  hear  the  voices  oi  the  Indian?;,  though  ver\ 
indistinctly,  in  the  direction  of  the  camp.  This  continued 
for  an  hour  or  more  ;  and  then  the  rocks  rang  with  a  terrible 
explosion,  whith  1  knew  to  be  the  bursting  of  a  shell.  After 
that,  I  could  hear  loud  shouts,  and,  soon  after,  the  hurried 
trampling  of  many  horses  ;  and  then  all  was  silence.  I 
thought,  at  the  time,  that  the  Indians  had  taken  their  de- 
parture ;  but  I  knew  not  what  had  caused  them  to  go  off  in 
such  a  hurry.  I  found  out  afterwards.  Your  conjecture 
was  right.  They  had  thrown  one  of  the  bombs  into  the  fire, 
and  the  fuse  catching,  had  caused  it  to  explode,  killing 
several  of  their  number.  As  they  believed  it  to  be  the  hand 
of  the  Great  Spirit,  they  had  hastily  gathered  up  such 
plunder  as  was  most  desirable  to  them,  and  ridden  away 
from  the  spot.  I  did  not  know  this  at  the  time,  and  I  lay 
still  in  my  cave.  For  several  hours  all  was  silence  ;  but,  as 
night  drew  near,  I  fancied  I  again  heard  noises  about  the 
camp,  and  I  thought  the  Indians  might  not  yet  be  gone. 

*'  When  darkness  came,  I  would  have  crawled  towards  the 
camp,  but  I  could  not ;  and  I  lay  all  night  in' the  cave,  chaf- 
ing with  the  pain  of  my  wound,  and  listening  to  the  howling 
of  the  wolves.     That  was  a  terrible  night. 

"  Morning  dawned  again,  and  I  could  hear  no  sounds.  I 
was  now  suffering  dreadfully,  both  from  hunger  and  thirst. 
I  saw  a  well-known  tree  growing  in  front  of  the  cave.  I 
knew  it,  because  the  same  tree  is  found  upon  the  mountains 
of  the  Mimbres,  near  our  mine.  It  was  a  species  of  pine, 
called  by  the  Mexicans  '  piiion,'  whose  cones  afford  food  to 
thousands  of  the  miserable  savages  who  roam  over  the  great 
western  desert,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  California. 
If  I  could  only  reach  this  tree,  I  might  find  some  of  its  nuts 
upon  the  ground  ;  and,  with  this  hope,  I  dragged  myself 
painfully  out  of  the  cave.  It  was  not  twenty  paces  from 
the  rocks  where  the  tree  grew ;  yet,  with  my  weakness  and 
the  pain  of  my  wound,  I  was  nearly  half  an  hour  in  reaching 
it.  To  my  joy,  I  found  the  ground  under  it  covered  with 
cones.     I  was  not  long  in  stripping  off  the  rinds  of  many  of 


THE    DKSI'.K  I     II()!\1L.  ^5 

them,  and  getting  the  serrls,  which  T  ate  greedily,  until  T  iind 
satislied  my  hunger. 

"  But  another  appetite  far  more  terrible  was  craving  me 
— I  was  tortured  with  thirst.  Could  I  crawl  as  far  as  the 
camp  ?  I  knew  that  there  I  should  find  water  in  the  stream  ; 
and,  from  the  position  of  the  cave,  I  knew  I  could  not  find 
it  nearer.  I  must  either  reach  it  or  die  ;  and,  with  this 
thought  to  spur  m2  on,  I  commenced  the  short  journey  of 
three  hundred  yards,  although  I  was  not  certain  I  might 
live  to  see  the  end  of  it.  I  had  not  crawled  six  paces 
through  the  underwood,  when  a  bunch  of  small,  white  flowers 
attracted  my  attention.  They  were  the  flowers  of  the  sorrel 
tree, — the  beautiful  lyonia, — the  very  sight  of  which  sent  a 
thrill  of  gladness  through  my  heart.  I  was  soon  under  the 
tree,  and,  clutching  one  of  its  lowermost  branches,  I  stripped 
it  of  its  smooth,  serrated  leaves,  and  eagerly  chewed  them. 
Another  and  another  branch  were  successively  divested  of 
their  foliage,  until  the  little  tree  looked  as  if  a  flock  of  goats 
had  been  breakfasting  upon  it.  I  lay  for  nearly  an  hour 
masticating  the  soft  leaves,  and  swallowing  their  delicious 
and  acid  juice.  At  length  my  thirst  was  alleviated,  and  I 
fell  asleep  under  the  cool  shadow  of  the  lyonia. 

"  When  I  awoke  again,  I  felt  much  stronger,  and  with 
new  appetite  to  eat.  The  fever  which  had  begun  to  threaten 
me  was  much  allayed  ;  and  I  knew  this  was  to  be  attributed 
to  the  virtue  of  the  leaves  I  had  eaten — for,  besides  giving 
relief  to  thirst,  the  sap  of  the  sorrel  tree  is  a  most  potent 
febrifuge.  Gathering  a  fresh  quantity  of  the  leaves,  and 
tying  them  together,  I  again  set  out  for  the  pinon  tree.  I 
took  the  leaves  with  me,  so  that  I  should  rot  have  to  make 
the  return  trip  to  the  sorrel  that  night  again.  In  a  few 
minutes  I  had  reached  the  end  of  my  journey,  and  was  busy 
among  the  cones.  You  laugh  at  my  calling  it  a  journey  ; 
but  I  assure  you  it  was  a  most  painful  one  to  me,  although 
it  was  not  ten  paces  from  one  tree  to  the  other.  The  slight- 
est motion  agonized  me. 

That  night  I  passed  under  the  pinon,  and  in  the  morning, 


56  THE    DESERi    .lOMfi. 

having  made  my  breakfast  of  the  seeds,  I  collected  my 
pockets  full,  and  set  out  again  for  the  sorrel  tree.  Here  I 
spent  the  day  ;  and  with  a  fresh  cargo  of  leaves,  returnee'  at 
night  to  the  pif>on,  where  I  again  slept. 

"  Thus,  for  four  successive  days  and  nights,  I  passed  be- 
tween these  two  brave  trees,  living  upon  the  sustenance  they 
afforded.  The  fever  was  luckily  warded  off  by  the  leaves  of 
the  friendly  lyonia.  My  wound  began  to  heal,  and  the  pain 
left  it.  The  wolves  came  at  intervals  ;  but,  seeing  my  long 
knife  and  that  I  still  lived,  they  kept  at  a  wary  distance. 

"  Although  the  leaves  of  the  sorrel  assuaged  my  thirst,  they 
did  not  satisfy  it.  I  longed  for  a  good  draught  of  water ; 
and,  on  the  fourth  day,  I  set  out  for  the  stream.  I  was  now 
able  to  creep  upon  my  hands  and  one  knee,  dragging  the 
wounded  limb  after.  When  I  had  got  about  half  way  through 
the  underwood,  I  came  upon  an  object  that  almost  congealed 
the  blood  in  my  veins.  It  was  a  human  skeleton.  I  knew 
it  was  not  that  of  a  man  ;  I  knew  it  was — " 

Here  the  voice  of  the  miner  became  choked  with  sobs, 
and  he  was  unable  to  finish  the  sentence.  Nearly  all  in  the 
room — even  the  rude  hunters — wept  as  they  beheld  his 
emotion.     After  an  effort,  he  continued : — 

"  I  saw  that  she  had  been  buried ;  and  I  wondered  at  this, 
for  I  knew  the  Indians  had  not  done  it.  I  was  never  certain 
until  this  hour  who  had  performed  for  her  that  sacred  lite. 
I  thought,  however,  it  must  have  been  you ;  for,  after  I  had 
recovered,  I  went  back  upon  the  trail,  and,  not  finding  your 
wagon  anywhere,  I  knew  you  must  have  come  on  to  the  camp, 
and  gone  away  again.  I  looked  in  every  direction  to  find 
which  way  you  had  gone ;  but,  as  you  wall  remember,  there 
was  a  heavy  fall  of  rain  shortly  after,  and  that  had  obliterated 
every  track.  All  this  happened  after  I  was  able  to  get  upon 
my  feet,  which  was  not  for  a  month  after  the  night  of  the 
massacre.  But  let  me  go  back  in  my  narrative  to  where  I 
had  found  the  remains  of  my  poor  wife. 

"  The  wolves  had  torn  the  body  from  its  grave.  I  looked 
for  some  vestige  of  my  child.     With  my  hands  I  dug  down 


THE  DESERT   HOMEi.  57 

into  the  loose  mold  and  leaves,  which  you  had  thrown  over 
her  body  ;  but  no  infant  was  there.  I  Ci'awled  on  to  the 
camp.  I  found  that  just  as  you  have  described  it,  except 
that  the  bodies  were  now  bleaching  skeletons,  and  the  wolves 
had  taken  their  departure.  I  searched  around,  on  all  sides, 
thinking  I  might  find  some  traces  of  my  little  Luisa  but  in 
vain.  'The  Indians  have  either  carried  the  child  away,' 
thought  I,  '  or  the  fierce  wolves  have  devoured  it  altogether.' 

"  In  one  of  the  wagons  I  found  an  old  mess  chest  lying 
hid  under  some  rubbish.  It  had  escaped  the  hurried 
plunder  of  the  savages.  On  opening  it,  I  saw  that  it  con- 
tained, among  other  things,  some  coffee,  and  several  pounds 
of  jerked  meat.  This  was  a  fortunate  event,  for  the  meat 
and  coffee  nourished  me,  until  I  was  able  to  gather  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  the  pifions. 

"  In  this  way  I  spent  a  whole  month,  sleeping  in  one  of 
the  wagons  at  night,  and  crawling  off  to  collect  pifions  during 
the  day.  I  had  but  little  fear  that  the  Indians  would  return  ; 
for  I  knew  that  that  part  of  the  country  was  not  inhabited 
by  any  tribe,  and  we  must  have  fallen  in  with  a  party  of  the 
Arapahoes,  wandering  out  of  their  usual  range.  As  soon  as 
I  grew  strong  enough,  I  dug  a  grave,  where  I  interred  the 
remains  of  my  poor  wife  ;  and  now  I  began  to  think  of  tak- 
ing my  leave  of  that  melancholy  scene. 

"  I  knew  that  I  was  not  much  moVe  than  a  hundred  miles 
distant  from  the  eastern  settlements  of  New  Mexico  ;  but  a 
hundred  miles  of  uninhabited  wilderness,  and  on  foot,  was  \ 
barrier  that  seemed  almost  as  impassable  as  the  ocean  itselL 
I  was  determined,  however,  to  make  the  attempt ;  and  I  set 
about  sewing  a  bag  in  which  I  should  carry  my  roasted 
pifions — the  onb'  Drovision  I  could  get  to  sustain  me  through 
the  journey. 

"  While  engaged  in  this  operation,  with  my  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  work,  I  heard  footsteps  near  me.  I  raised  my 
head  suddenly,  and  in  alarm.  What  was  my  joy  when  I 
saw  that  the  object  which  had  startled  me  was  neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  mule,  that  was  slowly  coming  towards  the 


58  THE   biiSERT    HOME. 

camp  !  I  recognized  it  as  one  of  the  mules  that  had  be- 
longed to  our  caravan. 

"  The  animal  had  not  yet  observed  mc;  and  I  thought  it 
might  shy  away  if  I  showed  myself  too  suddenly.  I  resolved, 
therefore,  to  capture  it  by  stratagem.  I  crept  into  the  wagon, 
where  I  knew  there  was  a  lasso  ;  and  having  got  hold  of 
this,  I  placed  myself  in  ambush,  where  I  saw  the  mule  would 
most  likely  pass.  I  had  scarcely  got  the  noose  ready  when, 
to  my  extreme  satisfaction,  the  mule  came  directly  to  where 
I  lay  expecting  it.  The  next  moment  its  neck  was  hrmly 
grasped  in  the  loop  of  the  lasso,  and  the  animal  itself  stO(;d 
tied  to  the  tongue  of  one  of  the  wagons.  It  was  one  of  our 
mules  that  had  escaped  from  the  Indians,  and  after  wander- 
ing over  the  country  for  weeks  had  nov/  found  the  track,  and 
would,  no  doubt,  had  I  not  caught  it,  have  found  its  way 
back  to  St.  Louis  ;  for  this  is  by  no  means  an  unfrequent 
occurrence  with  animals  that  stray  off  from  the  caravans. 
It  soon  became  tame  with  me,  and  in  a  few  days  more  I  had 
manufactured  a  bridle  and  saddle  ;  and,  mounting  with  my 
bag  of  roasted  pinons,  I  rode  off  on  the  trail  for  Santa  Fe'. 
In  about  a  week  I  reached  that  place  in  safety,  and  continued 
on  southward  to  the  mine. 

"My  history  since  that  time  can  have  but  little  interest 
for  any  of  you.  It  is  that  of  a  man  sorrowing  for  the  loss 
of  all  he  loved  on  earth.  But  you,  Rolfe — you  have  given 
me  new  life  in  restoring  to  me  my  child,  my  Luisa ;  and 
eveiy  chapter  of  your  history,  woven  as  it  is  with  hers,  will 
be  to  mc,  at  least,  of  the  deepest  interest.  Go  on,  then — 
go  on  !  " 

With  this  the  miner  concluded ;  and  our  host,  after  invit- 
ing each  of  us  to  refill  our  cups  with  wine,  and  our  pipes 
with  tobacco,  resumed  his  narrative  where  he  had  left  it  off, 
in  consequence  of  the  happy  but  unexpected  episode  to 
■which  it  had  led. 


tUi   D£S£RT   HOME,  t^g 


CHAPTER   IX. 

LOST   IN    THE    DESERT. 

"  Well,  my  friends,"  proceeded  our  host,  "  it  was  a 
terrible  sight  to  look  upon — those  fierce,  gaunt  wolves — the 
mad  and  foaming  mastiffs — the  dead  mother,  and  the  terrified 
and  screaming  child.  Of  course,  the  wolves  fled  at  the  ap- 
proach of  myself  and  Cudjo,  and  the  dogs  whimpered  with 
delight.  Well  they  might,  poor  brutes  ;  for  had  we  not  come 
to  their  aid,  they  could  not  have  held  out  much  longer 
against  such  fearful  odds.  Although  the  battle  had  not 
been  a  long  one,  and  commenced  most  likely  after  we  had 
driven  the  wolves  from  the  camp,  yet  the  poor  mastiffs  were 
torn  and  bleeding  in  many  places.  As  I  stooped  down  to 
take  up  the  little  Luisa,  she  still  clung  close  around  the  neck 
of  her  mother,  crying  for  her  '  mamma  '  to  awake.  I  saw 
that  her  mamma  would  never  awake  again.  She  was  lifeless 
and  cold.  There  was  an  arrow  in  her  breast.  It  was  plain, 
that,  after  receiving  this  wound,  she  had  fled  into  the  thicket 
— no  doubt  followed  by  the  faithful  dogs, — and  favored  by 
the  darkness,  had  kept  on,  until  she  had  fallen  and  died. 
The  position  of  her  arms  showed  that  she  had  breathed  her 
last  clasping  her  child  to  her  bosom. 

"Leaving  Cudjo  to  guard  the  body,  I  carried  the  child 
back  to  my  own  wagon.  Although  so  lately  terrified  with 
the  battle  of  the  wolves  and  dogs,  the  little  creature  cried  at 
being  separated  from  its  mother,  and  struggled  in  my  arms 
to  be  taken  back." 

Here  Rolfe's  narrative  was  again  interrupted  by  the  sobs 
of  M'Knight,  who — although  a  firm,  lion-hearted  man — 
could  not  restrain  himself  on  listening  to  these  painfull}-- 
afTecting  details.     The   children  of  Rolfe,  too,  repeatedly 


6o  TUli    DESKRT    HOME. 

wept  aloud.  The  "  dark  sister  ''  herself  seemed  least  affected 
of  all.  Perhaps  that  terrible  scene,  occurring  at  such  an 
early  period  of  her  life,  had  impressed  her  character  witif 
the  firmness  and  composure  which  afterwards  marked  it. 
Every  now  and  then  she  bent  towards  the  "  fair  one,"  throw- 
ing her  arms  around  the  neck  of  the  latter,  and  endeavoring 
to  restrain  her  tears. 

"  I  gave  the  child  to  my  wife,"  continued  Rolfe,  after  a 
pause,  "  and  in  the  company  of  little  Mary,  then  about  her 
own  age,  she  soon  ceased  crying,  and  fell  asleep  in  my  wife's 
bosom  I  took  a  spade  which  I  had  in  my  wagon,  and  go- 
ing back,  I  dug  a  grave,  and,  with  the  help  of  Cudjo,  hastily 
interred  the  body.  I  say  hastily,  for  we  did  not  know  the 
moment  we  might  stand  m  need  of  some  one  to  do  as  much 
for  ourselves.  It  seems  that  our  labor  was  in  vain  ;  yet 
even  at  the  time,  had  we  known  this  was  to  be  the  case,  we 
should  not  the  less  have  acted  as  w^e  did.  There  was  some 
satisfaction  in  performing  this  last  sacred  and  Christian 
ceremony  for  our  murdered  friend  ;  and  both  Cudjo  and  I 
felt  it  to  be  nothing  more  than  our  duty. 

"  We  did  not  remain  any  longer  near  the  spot,  but,  hasten- 
ing back  to  our  wagon,  I  led  the  oxen  in  among  some  trees, 
where  they  might  be  hidden  from  view.  Commending  my 
wife  and  little  ones  to  God,  I  shouldered  my  rifle,  and  set 
out,  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  whether  the  savages  had 
left  the  place,  and  in  what  direction  they  had  gone.  It  was 
my  intention,  should  I  be  able  to  satisfy  myself  about  the 
road  they  had  taken,  to  go  by  some  other  course,  yet  by  one 
that  would  bring  me  back  into  the  trail,  so  that  I  could  go 
on  to  the  country  of  New  Mexico.  I  knew  very  well  that  at 
that  late  season,  and  with  oxen  worn  out,  as  ours  were,  I 
could  never  get  back  to  St.  Louis — which  was  nearly  eight 
hundred  miles  distant. 

"  After  proceeding  a  mile  or  two, — creeping  through 
bushes,  and  skulking  behind  rocks, — I  saw  the  trail  of  the 
Indians  striking  out  into  an  open  plain,  in  a  due  westerly 
direction.     They  must  have  formed  a  large  band,  and  all 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  6 1 

mounted,  as  the  tracks  of  their  horses  testified.  Seeing  that 
they  had  moved  off  westward,  I  formed  the  resolution  of  mak- 
ing two  or  three  days'  journey  to  the  south,  and,  afterwards 
turning  in  a  westerly  direction.  This  would  most  likely  se- 
cure me  from  meeting  them  again,  and  would  bring  :  _.,  as 
I  guessed,  to  the  eastern  ranges  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
through  which  I  might  pass  into  the  valley  of  New  Mexico. 
I  had  heard  my  companions  speak  of  a  more  southern  pass 
through  these  mountains  than  that  which  lies  near  Santa 
Fe ;  and  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  reach  it,  although  I  believed 
it  to  be  two  hundred  miles  distant.  With  these  plans  in 
my  mind,  I  returned  to  where  I  had  left  my  little  party. 

'  It  was  night  when  I  got  back  to  the  wagon,  and  I  found 
Mary  and  the  children  in  great  distress  at  my  delay  ;  but  I 
had  brought  them  good  news — that  the  Indians  were  gone 
away. 

"  I  had  thought  of  remaining  all  night  where  we  were  ; 
but  not  being  yet  fully  satisfied  that  the  Indians  were  gone, 
I  changed  my  intention.  Seeing  that  we  were  to  have  a 
moon,  and  that  a  smooth  plain  stretched  away  towards  the 
south,  I  concluded  that  it  would  be  better  to  make  a  night 
journey  of  it,  and  put  twenty  miles,  if  possible,  between  us 
and  the  camp.  All  agreed  with  this  proposal.  In  fact  we 
were  all  equally  anxious  to  get  away  from  that  fearful  spot ; 
and  had  we  stayed  by  it,  not  one  of  us  could  have  slept  a 
wink.  The  apprehension  that  the  savages  might  return,  and 
the  excited  state  of  our  feelings, — to  say  nothing  of  the  ter- 
rible howli-ng  of  the  wolves, — would  have  kept  us  awake  ;  so, 
resolving  to  take  our  departure,  we  waited  for  the  rising  of 
the  moon. 

'•  We  did  not  waste  time,  my  friends.  You  all  know  that 
water  is  the  great  want  in  these  deserts,  both  for  man  and 
beast.  We  knew  not  where  or  when  we  might  next  find  it ; 
so  we  took  the  precaution  to  fill  our  vessels  at  the  stream. 
We  filled  all  we  had  that  would  hold  water.  Alas  !  these 
were  not  enough,  as  you  shall  hear. 

ll^The  moon  rose  at  length.     She  seemed  to  smile  upon 


62  THE    DESKRr    flO:Mft. 

the  horrid  picture  that  lay  below  at  the  deserted  camp  ;  but 
we  stayed  no  longer  to  contemplate  it.  Leading  our  oxen 
out  of  their  cache,  we  struck  out  into  the  open  plain  in  a  direc- 
tion as  nearly  south  as  I  could  guide  myself.  I  looked 
northward  for  the  star  in  the  tail  of  the  Little  Bear, — the 
polar  star, — which  I  soon  found  by  the  pointers  of  the  Ursa 
Major ;  and  keeping  this  directly  on  our  backs,  we  pro- 
ceeded on.  Whenever  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  forced 
us  out  of  our  track,  I  would  again  turn  to  this  little  star,  and 
consult  its  unfailing  index.  There  it  twinkled  in  the  blue 
heavens,  like  the  eye  of  a  friend.  It  was  the  finger  of  God 
pointing  us  onward. 

"  And  onward  we  went — here  creeping  around  some  gap- 
ing fissure,  that  opened  across  our  track — there  wading  over 
a  sandy  swell — and  anon  rolling  briskly  along  the  smooth, 
hei bless  plain;  for  the  country  we  were  passing  through 
was   a  parched  and  treeless  desert. 

"  We  made  a  good  night's  journey  of  it,  cheered  by  the 
prospect  of  escaping  from  the  savages.  When  day  broke, 
we  were  twenty  miles  from  the  camp.  The  rough  hills  that 
surrounded  it  were  completely  lost  to  our  view,  and  we 
knew  from  this  that  we  had  traveled  a  long  way  ;  for  some 
of  these  hills  were  of  great  height.  We  knew  that  we  must 
have  passed  over  a  considerable  arc  of  the  earth's  surface  be- 
fore their  tops  could  have  sunk  below  the  horizon.  Of  course 
some  intervening  ridges,  such  as  the  sandy  swells  I  have 
mentioned,  helped  to  hide  them  from  our  view  ;  but,  at  all 
events,  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  savages, 
even  had  they  returned  to  the  camp,  could  not  now  see  us 
from  that  point.  We  only  feared  the  chances  of  their  dis- 
covering our  tracks  and  following  us.  Urged  by  this  ap- 
prehension, we  did  not  halt  when  the  day  broke,  but  kept 
on  until  near  noontide.  Then  we  drew  up  ;  for  our  oxen, 
as  well  as  the  horse,  were  completely  tired  down,  and  could 
go  no  farther  without  rest. 

"It  v.-.^s  but  a  poor  rest  for  them,  with  neither  grass  nor 
water;  not  a  blade  of   anything  green  except  \\\it  arttmisia 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  63 

plant,  the  wild  wormwood  which  of  course,  neither  horse 
nor  oxen  would  touch.  This  grew  all  around  us  in  low 
thickets.  Its  gnarled  and  twisted  bushes,  with  their  white, 
silvery  leaves,  so  far  from  gladdening  the  eye,  only,  served 
to  render  the  scene  more  dreary  and  desolate ;  for  we  knew 
that  this  plant  denoted  the  extreme  barrenness  of  the  soil. 
We  knew  that,  wherever  it  grew,  the  desert  was  around  it. 

"  It  was,  indeed,  but  a  poor  rest  for  our  animals ;  for  the 
hot  sun  glanced  down  upon  them  during  the  noon  hours, 
making  them  still  more  thirsty.  We  could  not  afford  them 
a  drop  of  the  precious  water ;  for  we  ourselves  were  oppressed 
with  extreme  thirst,  and  our  stock  was  hourly  diminishing. 
It  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  spare  a  small  quantity  to 
the  dogs,  Castor  and  Pollux. 

"  Long  before  night,  we  once  more  yoked  to  the  oxen, 
and  continued  our  journey,  in  the  hope  of  reaching  some 
stream  or  spring.  By  sunset,  we  had  made  ten  miles  farther 
to  the  south,  but  no  landmark  as  yet  appeared  in  sight — 
nothing  to  indicate  the  presence  of  water.  We  could  see 
nothing  around  us  but  the  sterile  plain,  stretching  on  all  sides 
to  the  horizon  ;  not  even  a  bush,  or  rock,  or  the  form  of  a 
wild  animal,  relieved  the  monotonous  expanse.  We  were  as 
m'jch  alone  as  if  we  had  been  in  an  open  boat,  in  the  middle 
of  the  ocean. 

We  began  to  grow  alarmed,  and  to  hesitate.  Should  we 
go  back  ?  No ;  that  would  never  do.  Even  had  the  pros- 
pect at  the  end  of  a  backward  journey  been  more  cheering, 
we  felt  uncertain  whether  we  might  be  able  to  reach  the 
stream  we  had  just  left.  We  should  surely  reach  water  as 
soon  by  keeping  forward  ;  and  with  this  thought  we  traveled 
on  through  all  the  livelong  night. 

"  When  morning  came,  I  again  surveyed  the  horizon,  but 
could  see  no  object  along  its  level  line.  I  was  riding  gloomily 
alongside  the  poor  oxen,  watching  their  laborious  efforts, 
when  a  voice  sounded  in  my  ears.  It  was  that  of  Frank, 
who  was  standing  in  the  fore  part  of  the  wagon,  looking  out; 
from  under  the  tilt. 


64  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

"  '  Papa  !  Papa  ! '  cried  he, '  look  at  the  pretty  white  cloud  I ' 

"  I  looked  up  at  the  boy,  to  see  what  he  meant.  I  saw 
that  he  was  pointing  to  the  southeast,  and  I  turned  my  eyes 
m  that  direction.  I  uttered  an  exclamation  of  joy,  which 
startled  my  companions  ;  for  I  saw  that  what  Frank  had 
taken  for  a  white  cloud  was  the  snowy  cap  of  a  mountain. 
1  might  have  seen  it  before,  had  my  eyes  been  searching  in 
that  quarter;  but  they  were  not,  as  I  was  examining  the  sky 
towards  the  south  and  west. 

"  Guided  by  no  very  extraordinary  experience,  I  knew  that 
where  there  was  snow  there  must  be  water ;  and,  without 
another  word,  I  directed  Cudjo  to  head  his  oxen  for  the 
mountain.  It  was  out  of  the  way  we  wanted  to  go  ;  but  we 
thought  not  of  that,  for  the  saving  of  our  lives  had  now  grown 
to  be  the  only  question  with  us. 

"  The  mountain  was  still  twenty  miles  distant.  We  could 
have  seen  it  much  farther  off,  but  we  had  been  traveling 
through  the  night.  The  question  was,  Would  our  oxen  be 
able  to  reach  it  ?  They  were  already  tottering  in  their  tracks. 
If  they  should  break  down,  could  we  reach  it  ?  Our  water 
was  all  gone,  and  we  were  suffering  from  thirst  as  the  sun 
rose.  *  A  river,' thought  I,  '  must  run  from  the  mountain, 
fed  by  the  melting  of  its  snows.  Perhaps  we  might  come 
to  this  river  before  arriving  at  the  mountain  foot.'  But  no; 
the  plain  evidently  sloped  down  from  us  to  the  mountain. 
Whatever  stream  ran  from  it  must  go  the  other  way.  We 
should  find  no  water  before  reaching  the  mountain — perhaps 
not  then  ;  and,  tortured  with  these  doubts,  we  pushed  gloomily 
forward. 

"  By  noon,  the  oxen  began  to  give  out.  One  of  them  fell 
dead,  and  we  left  him.  The  other  three  could  not  go  much 
farther.  Every  article  that  was  of  no  present  use  was  thrown 
from  the  wagon  to  lighten  it,  and  left  lying  on  the  plain ; 
but  still  the  poor  brutes  were  scarce  able  to  drag  it  along. 
We  went  at  a  snail's  pace. 

**  A  short  rest  might  recruit  the  animals;  but  I  could  not 
bring  myself  to  halt  again,  as  my  heart  was  agonized  by  the 


iHE   DESERT   HUME.  6$ 

rries  of  my  suffering  children.  Mary  bore  up  nobly  ;  so, 
too,  did  the  boys.  F'or  myself,  I  could  not  offer  a  word  of 
consolation,  for  I  knew  that  we  were  still  ten  miles  from  the 
foot  of  the  mountain.  I  thought  of  the  possibility  of  riding 
on  ahead,  and  bringing  back  some  water  in  the  vessels  ;  but 
I  saw  that  rny  horse  could  never  stand  it.  He  was  even  now 
unable  to  carry  me,  and  I  was  afoot,  leading  him.  Cudjo, 
also,  walked  by  the  side  of  the  oxen.  Another  of  these  now 
gave  up,  and  only  two  remained  to  drag  the  vehicle. 

"  At  this  terrible  moment,  several  objects  appeared  before 
us  on  the  plain,  that  caused  me  to  cry  out  with  delight. 
They  were  dark-green  masses,  of  different  sizes — the  largest 
of  them  about  the  size  of  a  beecap.  They  looked  like  a 
number  of  huge  hedgehogs  rolled  up,  and  presenting  on  all 
sides  their  thorny  spikes.  On  seeing  them,  I  dropped  my 
horse  ;  and,  drawing  my  knife,  ran  eagerly  forward.  My 
companions  thought  I  had  gone  mad,  not  understanding  why 
I  should  have  drawn  my  knife  on  such  harmless-looking  ob- 
jects, and  not  knowing  what  they  were.  But  I  knew  well 
what  they  were  ;  I  knew  they  were  the  globe  cacti. 

"  In  a  moment's  time,  I  had  peeled  the  spikelets  from  sev- 
eral of  them ;  and  as  the  wondering  party  came  up,  and 
saw  the  dark-green,  succulent  vegetables,  with  the  crystal 
water  oozing  out  of  their  pores,  they  were  satisfiect  that  I  had 
not  gone  mad. 

"  In  a  short  while,  we  had  cut  the  huge  spheroids  into 
slices,  which  we  chewed  with  avidity.  We  set  some  of  them 
also  before  the  horse  and  oxen,  both  of  which  devoured  them 
greedily,  sap,  fibers,  and  all ;  while  the  dogs  lapped  the  cold 
liquid  wherever  they  were  cut. 

"  It  is  true,  that  this  did  not  quench  thirst  in  the  same  • 
way  that  a  drink  of  water  would  have  done ;  but  it  greatly 
relieved  us,  and  would,  perhaps,  enable  us  to  reach  the 
mountain.  We  resolved  to  halt  for  a  short  while,  in  order  to 
rest  the  oxen.  Unfortunately,  the  relief  had  come  too  late 
for  one  of  them.  It  had  been  his  last  stretch  ;  and  when  we 
were  about  to  start  again,  we  found  that  he  had  lain  down, 
5 


66  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

and  was  unable  to  rise.  We  saw  that  we  must  leave  him  ; 
and,  taking  such  harness  as  we  could  find,  we  put  the  horse 
in  his  place,  and  moved  onward.  We  were  in  hopes  of  find- 
ing another  little  garden  of  cactus  plants  ;  but  none  appeared, 
and  we  toiled  on,  suffering    as  before. 

"  When  we  had  got  within  about  five  miles  of  the  mountain 
foot,  the  other  ox  broke  down,  and  fell — as  we  supposed — 
dead.  We  could  take  the  wagon  no  farther;  but  it  was  no 
time  either  to  hesitate  or  halt,  we  must  try  it  afoot,  or  perish 
where  we  were. 

"  I  loosed  out  the  horse,  and  left  him  to  his  will.  I  saw 
he  was  no  longer  able  to  carry  any  of  us.  I  took  an  ax 
from  the  wagon,  also  a  tin  pot,  and  a  piece  of  dry  beef  that 
still  remained  to  us.  Cudjo  shouldered  the  ax  and  little 
Mary  ;  I  carried  the  beef,  the  pot,  Luisa,  and  my  rifle  ;  while 
my  wife,  Frank,  and  Harry,  each  held  something  in  their 
hands.  Thus  burdened,  we  bade  adieu  to  the  wagon,  and 
struck  off  towards  the  mountain.  The  dogs  follo^\  ed  ;  and 
the  poor  horse,  not  willing  to  be  left  behind,  came  tottering 
after. 

"  There  is  not  much  more  of  that  journey  to  be  detailed. 
We  toiled  through  those  five  miles  the  best  way  we  could. 
As  we  drew  nearer  to  the  mountain,  we  could  see  deep, 
dark  ravines  running  down  its  sides,  and  in  the  bottom  of 
one  we  distinguished  a  silvery  thread,  which  we  knew  was 
the  foam  of  water  as  it  dashed  over  the  rocks.  The  sight 
gave  us  new  energy,  and  in  another  hour  we  had  reached 
the  banks  of  a  crystal  stream,  and  were  offering  thanks  for 
our  deliverance." 


1HK    DEbERT    HOME.  67 


CHAPTER  X. 

ADVENTURE  WITH  AN  ARMADILLO. 

"  Well,  my  friends,  we  had  arrived  on  the  banks  of  a 
rivulet,  and  were  thanking  God  for  bringing  us  safely  there. 
We  soon  satisfied  our  thirst,  as  you  may  believe,  and  began 
to  lock  around  us.  The  stream  we  had  reached  was  not 
t'aat  which  runs  into  the  valley  here,  but  altogether  on  the 
ether  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was  but  a  mere  rill,  and  I 
saw  that  several  similar  ones  issued  from  the  ravines,  and, 
after  running  a  short  distance  into  the  plain,  fell  off  towards 
the  southeast,  and  united  with  others  running  from  that  side. 
1  found  afterwards  that  they  all  joined  into  the  same  channel, 
forming  a  considerable  river,  Mdiich  runs  from  this  elevated 
plain  in  an  easterly  direction  ;  and  which  I  take  to  be  a  head 
water  of  the  great  Red  River  of  Louisiana,  or,  perhaps,  of 
the  Brazos,  or  Colorado,  of  Texas.  I  have  called  it  a  con- 
siderable river.  That  is  not  quite  correct;  for,  although, 
Avhere  they  all  unite,  they  form  a  good-sized  body  of  water, 
yet  twenty  miles  farther  down,  for  three-fourths  of  the  year, 
the  channel  is  perfectly  dry  ;  and  that  is  the  case  I  know 
not  how  far  beyond.  The  water,  which  passes  from  the 
mountain  at  all  times,  is  either  evaporated  by  the  hot  sun,  or 
sinks  into  the  sands  of  its  own  bed,  during  a  run  of  twenty 
miles.  It  is  only  in  times  of  great  rain, — a  rare  occurrence 
here, — or  when  very  hot  weather  melts  an  unusual  quantity 
of  the  snow,  that  there  is  water  enough  to  carry  the  stream 
over  a  flat,  sandy  tract,  which  stretches  away  to  the  eastward^ 
/Ml  these  things  I  found  out  afterwards,  and  as  you,  my 
("licnds,  know  them  to  be  common  phenomena  of  the  desert^j 
1  shall  not  now  dwell  upon  them. 

*'  I  saw  that,  where  we;  \vere,  there  was  but  littla  chance  q{ 


68  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

getting  anything  to  eat.  The  sides  of  the  mountain  were 
rugged  and  grim,  with  here  and  there  a  stunted  cedar  hang- 
ing from  the  rocks.  The  small  patches  of  grass  and  willows 
that  lined  the  banks  of  the  little  rills,  although  cheering  to 
Che  eye,  when  compared  with  the  brown  barrenness  of  the 
desert,  offered  but  little  prospect  that  we  should  gtt  anything 
to  eat  there.  If  the  desert  stretched  away  to  the  south  of  the 
mountain,  as  we  saw  that  it  did  to  the  north,  east,  and  west, 
then  we  had  only  reached  a  temporary  resting-place,  and  we 
might  still  perish,  if  not  from  thirst,  from  what  was  equally 
as  bad — hunger. 

"  This  was  uppermost  in  our  thoughts  at  the  time,  for  we 
had  not  eaten  a  morsel  during  that  day ;  so  we  turned  our 
attention  to  the  piece  of  dried  meat. 

"  *  Let  us  cook  it,  and  make  a  soup,'  said  Mary  ;  '  that  will 
be  better  for  the  children.'  My  poor  wife  !  I  saw  that  the 
extreme  fatigue  she  had  undergone  had  exhausted  her 
strength,  yet  still  she  endeavored  to  be  cheerful. 

" '  Yes,  papa,  let  us  make  soup  ;  soup  is  very  nice,'  added 
Frank,  trying  to  cheer  his  mother  by  showing  that  he  was 
not  dismayed. 

"  '  Very  well,  then,'  I  replied.  '  Come,  Cudjo,  shoulder 
your  ax,  and  let  us  to  the  mountain  for  wood.  Yonder  are 
some  pine  trees  near  the  foot ;  they  will  make  an  excellent 
fire.' 

"  So  Cudjo  and  I  started  for  the  wood,  which  was  growing 
about  three  hundred  yards  distant,  and  close  in  to  the  rocks 
whe^e  the  stream  came  down. 

"As  we  drew  nearer  to  the  trees,  I  saw  that  they  were 
not  pine  trees,  but  very  different  indeed.  Both  trunks  and 
branches  had  long,  thorny  spikes  upon  them,  like  porcu^ 
pines'  quills,  and  the  leaves  were  of  a  bright  shining  green, 
pinnate  with  small  oval  leaflets.  But  what  was  most  singular 
was  the  long  bean-shaped  pods  that  hung  down  thickly  from 
the  branches.  These  were  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in 
breadth,  and  some  of  them  not  less  than  twelve  inches  in 
length.     They  were  of  a  reddish-brown,  nearly  a  claret  :olor. 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  69 

Except  in  the  color,  they  looked  exactly  like  large  bean  pods 
filled  with  beans. 

"  I  was  not  ignorant  of  what  species  of  tree  was  before 
us.  I  had  seen  it  before.  I  knew  it  was  the  honey  locust, 
or  thorny  acacia — the  carob  tree  of  the  East,  and  the  famed 
'  algarobo  '  of  the  Spaniards.  I  was  not  ignorant  of  its  uses, 
neither,  for  I  knew  this  to  be  the  tree  upon  which  (as  many 
suppose)  St.  John  the  Baptist  sustained  himself  in  the  desert, 
where  it  is  said,  '  His  meat  was  locusts  and  wild  honey.' 
Hence  it  is  sometimes  called  *  St.  John's  bread.'  Neither 
was  Cudjo  ignorant  of  its  uses.  The  moment  his  eyes  rested 
upon  the  long,  brown  legumes,  he  cried  out,  with  gestures 
of  delight, — 

"  '  Massa — Massa  Roff,  lookee  yonder !  Beans  and  honey 
for  supper  !  ' 

"  We  were  soon  under  the  branches ;  and  while  1  pro- 
ceeded to  knock  down  and  collect  a  quantity  of  the  ripe  fruit, 
Cudjo  went  farther  up  among  the  rocks,  to  procure  his  fire- 
wood from  the  pines  that  grew  there. 

"  I  soon  filled  my  handkerchief,  and  was  waiting  for  Cudjo, 
when  I  heard  him  shout, — 

"  '  Massa  Roff  1  come  dis  w^ay,  and  see  de  varmint — what 
him  be.' 

"  I  immediately  ran  up  among  the  rocks.  On  reaching 
the  spot  where  Cudjo  was,  I  found  him  bending  ©ver  a  crev- 
ice or  hole  in  the  ground,  from  which  protruded  an  object 
— very  much  like  the  tail  of  a  pig. 

"  '  What  is  it,  Cudjo  ? '  I  asked.  ■ 

"  '  Don't  know,  Massa.  Varmint  I  never  seed  in  Vaginny 
looks  someting  like  de  ole  'possum.' 

"  '  Catch  hold  of  tlie  tail,  and  pull  him  out,'  said  I- 

"  '  Lor  1  Massa  Ro^,  I've  tried  ma  best,  but  can't  fotch 
*im  no  how.  Look  yar  1 '  And  so  saying,  my  companion 
seized  the  tail,  and  pulled, — seemingly  with  all  his  might, — 
but  to  no  purpose. 

"  '  Did  you  see  the  animal  when  it  was  outside  ? '  I  in- 
quired. 


70  THE    DESKRI'    HOME. 

"'Yes,  Massa  ;  sec  'iin  and  cliase  'iin  till  1  tree  him  yar 
in  dis  cave  ' 

"  '  What  was  it  like  ? ' 

*'  *  Berry  like  a  pig ;  maybe  more  belike  ole  'fjossum,  but 
cubbered  all  ober  wi'  shell ^  like  a  Vaginny  turtle.' 

"  '  Oh,  then,  it  is  an  armadillo.' 

" '  An  amadiller !  Cudjo  niver  hear  o'  dat  varmint 
afore.' 

"  I  saw  that  the  animal  which  had  so  astonished  my  com- 
panion was  one  of  those  curious  living  things  which  Nature, 
in  giving  variety  to  her  creatures,  has  thought  proper  to 
form  ;  and  which  are  known  throughout  Mexico  and  South 
America  by  the  name  of  '  armadilloes.'  They  are  so  called 
from  the  Spanish  word  '  armado,'  which  signifies  armed  ; 
because  that  all  over  their  body  there  is  a  hard,  shell-like 
covering,  divided  into  bands  and  regular  figures,  exactly  like 
the  coats  of  mail  worn  by  the  warriors  of  ancient  times. 
There  is  even  a  helmet  covering  their  heads,  connected  with 
the  other  parts  of  the  armor  by  a  joint,  which  renders  this 
resemblance  still  more  complete  and  singular.  There  are 
many  species  of  these  animals  ;  some  of  them  as  large  as  a 
full-sized  sheep,  but  the  generality  of  them  are  much  smaller. 
The  curious  figuring  of  the  shell  that  covers  them  differs  in 
the  different  species.  In  some,  the  segments  are  squares  ; 
in  others,  hexagons ;  and  in  others,  again,  they  are  of  a 
pentagonal  shape.  In  all  of  them,  however,  the  figures  have 
a  mathematical  form  and  precision  that  is  both  strange  and 
beautiful.  They  look  as  though  they  were  artificial ;  that  is, 
carved  by  the  hand  of  man.  They  are  harmless  creatures, 
and  most  of  the  species  feed  upon  herbs  and  grass.  They 
do  not  run  very  nimbly,  though  ihey  can  go  much  faster 
than  one  would  suppose,  considering  the  heavy  armor  which 
they  carry  This,  however,  is  not  all  in  one  shell,  but  in 
many  pieces,  connected  together  by  a  tough,  pliable  skin. 
Hence  they  can  use  their  limbs  with  sufficient  ease.  They 
are  not  such  slow  travelers  as  the  turtles  and  tortoises. 
When  they  are  pursued    and    overtaken,    tbev    .sometiTxies 


THE    PESERT    IIO^rE.  7  I 

gather  themselves  into  a  round  ball,  as  hedgekogs  do  ;  and 
if  they  should  happen  to  be  near  the  edge  of  a  precipice, 
they  will  roll  themselves  over  to  escape  from  their  enemy. 
More  often,  when  pursued,  they  betake  themselves  to  their 
holes,  or  to  any  crevice  among  rocks  that  may  be  near ; 
and  this  was  evidently  the  case  with  that  which  Cudjo  had 
surprised.  When  they  can  hide  their  heads,  hkethe  ostrich, 
they  fancy  themselves  safe ;  and  so,  no  doubt,  fancied  this 
one,  until  he  felt  the  sinewy  fingers  of  Cudjo  grasping  him 
by  the  tail.  It  was  evident  the  animal  had  run  into  a  shallow 
crack  where  he  could  go  no  farther,  else  w-e  would  soon  have 
lost  sight  of  his  tail ;  but  it  was  equally  evident,  that  pulling 
upon  that  appendage  w^as  not  the  method  to  get  him  out. 
I  could  see  that  he  had  pushed  the  scaly  armor  outward  and 
upward,  so  that  it  held  fast  against  the  rocks  on  every  side. 
]\Ioreover,  his  claws,  which  are  remarkable  both  for  length 
and  tenacity,  were  clutched  firmly  against  the  bottom  of 
the  crevice.  It  would  have  taken  a  team  of  oxen  to  have 
pulled  him  out,  as  Cudjo  remarked  with  a  grin. 

"  I  had  heard  of  a  plan  used  by  the  Indians  who  hunt  the 
armadillo,  and  who  are  very  fond  of  his  flesh,  and  as  I  was 
determined  to  try  it,  I  told  my  companion  to  let  go  the  tail, 
and  stand  to  one  side. 

"  I  now  knelt  down  in  front  of  the  cave,  and,  taking  a 
small  branch  of  cedar,  commenced  tickling  the  hind  quarters 
of  the  animal  with  the  sharp  needles.  In  a  moment  I  saw 
that  his  muscles  began  to  relax,  and  the  shell  to  separate 
from  the  rocks,  and  close  in  towards  his  body.  After  con- 
tinuing the  operation  for  some  minutes,  I  observed  that  he 
had  reduced  himself  to  his  natural  size,  and  had  no  doubt  for- 
gotten to  keep  a  lookout  with  his  claws.  Seeing  this,  l 
seized  the  tail  firmly  ;  and,  giving  it  a  sudden  jerk,  swung 
the  armadillo  out  between  the  feet  of  my  companion.  Cudjo 
aimed  a  blow  with  the  ax  which  neaily  severed  its  head  from 
its  body,  and  killed  the  animal  outright.  It  was  about  the  size 
of  a  rabbit,  and  proved  to  be  of  the  eight-banded  species — 
reckoned  more  delicious  eating  than  any  other. 


Ji  '  THE   DESfeRT    HOME. 

"  We  now  returned  to  camp  with  our  firewood,  our  locust 
beans,  and  our  armadillo — the  last  of  which  objects  horrified 
my  wife,  when  I  told  her  I  was  going  to  eat  it.  It  proved  a 
great  curiosity  to  the  boys,  however,  who  amused  themselves 
by  running  their  fingers  all  over  its  mottled  armor.  But  I  had 
something  that  amused  the  little  Mary  and  Luisa  still  more 
— the  delicious,  honey-like  pulp  from  the  pods  of  the  locust 
tree,  which  they  greedily  ate.  The  seeds  we  extracted  from 
the  pulp,  intending  to  roast  them  as  soon  as  we  had  kindled 
our  fire. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,"  continued  Rolfe,  rising  to  his 
feet,  "  since  we  have  got  to  talking  about  this  same  locust 
tree,  I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  to  try  a  mug  of  my  home- 
brewed beer,  which  I  made  out  of  its  beans  this  very  day, 
while  you  were  wandering  about  my  grounds  and  through 
the  valley.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  equal  to  Barclay  and  Per- 
kins's ;  but  I  flatter  myself,  that,  under  the  circumstances,  you 
will  not  find  it  unpalatable." 

Saying  this,  our  host  brought  forward  a  large  flagon,  and 
pouring  into  our  cups  a  brown-colored  liquid,  set  them  before 
us.  We  all  drank  of  the  "  locust  beer,"  which  was  not  un- 
like mead  or  new  cider ;  and  to  prove  that  we  liked  it  we 
drank  again  and  again. 

As  soon  as  this  ceremony  was  over,  Rolfe  went  on  with 
his  narration. 


THE  DESERT   HOME.  73 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  VERY  LEAN  BUFFALO. 


"  We  were  all  soon  engaged  in  different  occupations. 
Mary  was  preparing  the  dried  meat,  which  she  intended  to 
boil  along  with  the  locust  beans  in  our  tin  pot.  Fortunately, 
it  was  a  large  one,  and  held  nearly  a  gallon.  Cudjo  was 
busy  kindling  the  fire,  which  already  sent  up  its  volumes  of 
blue  smoke.  Frank,  Harry,  and  the  little  ones  were  sucking 
away  at  the  natural  preserves  of  the  acacia,  while  I  was 
dressing  my  armadillo  for  the  spit.  In  addition  to  this,  our 
horse  was  filling  out  his  sides  upon  the  rich  buffalo  grass 
that  grew  along  the  stream ;  and  the  dogs — poor  fellows  I 
they  were  like  to  fare  worst  of  all — stood  watching  my  opera- 
tions, and  snapped  eagerly  at  every  bit  that  fell  from  my 
knife.  In  a  very  short  while  the  fire  was  blazing  up,  the 
beef  and  beans  were  bubbling  over  it  in  the  tin  pot,  and  the 
armadillo  was  sputtering  on  the  spit  beside  them.  In  another 
short  while,  all  things  were  cooked  and  ready  to  be  eaten. 

"  We  now  remembered  that  we  had  neither  plates,  glasses, 
knives,  forks,  nor  spoons.  Yes,  Cudjo  and  I  had  our  hunt- 
ing knives  ;  and,  as  it  was  no  time  to  be  nice,  with  these  we 
fished  the  pieces  of  meat  and  some  of  the  beans  out  of  the 
soup  pot,  and  placed  them  upon  a  clean,  flat  stone.  For  the 
soup  itself,  we  immersed  the  lower  part  of  the  pot  into  the 
cool  water  of  the  stream,  so  that  in  a  short  time  Mary  and 
the  children  could  apply  the  edge  of  it  to  their  lips,  and  drink 
of  it  in  turn. 

"  As  for  Cudjo  and  myself,  we  did  not  want  any  of  the  soup. 
We  were  altogether  for  the  *  substantial. ' 

"  I  thought,  at  first,  I  should  have  all  the  armadillo  to  my* 
§elf.     Even  Cudjo,  who,  in  *  ole  Vaginny,'  had  bolted  'coonf?^ 


7^  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

'possums,  and  various  other  '  varmints,'  for  a  long  time  hung 
back.  Seeing,  however,  that  I  was  eating  with  evident  rehsh, 
he  held  out  his  sable  paw,  and  desired  me  to  help  him  to  a 
small  piece.  Having  once  tasted  it,  the  ice  of  his  appetite 
seemed  to  be  all  at  once  broken,  and  he  kept  asking  for 
more,  and  then  for  more,  until  I  began  to  fear  he  would  not 
leave  me  enough  for  my  own  supper. 

''  Neither  Mary  nor  the  boys,  however,  would  consent  to 
share  with  us,  although  I  assured  them,  what  was  positively 
the  fact,  that  what  1  was  eating  was  equal  in  delicacy  of 
flavor  to  the  finest  roast  pig — a  dish,  by  the  way,  to  which 
the  armadillo  bears  a  very  great  resemblance. ' 

"  The  sun  was  now  setting,  and  we  began  to  think  how  we 
were  to  pass  the  night.  We  had  left  all  our  blankets  in  the 
wagon,  and  the  air  was  fast  becoming  cold,  which  is  always 
the  case  in  the  neighborhood  of  snowy  mountains.  This  is 
easily  explained.  The  atmosphere  getting  cool  upon  the 
peak,  where  it  envelops  the  snow,  of  course  becomes  heavier 
and  keeps  constantly  descending  around  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  and  pushing  up  and  out  that  air  which  is  warmer 
and  lighter.  In  fact,  there  was  a  sensible  breeze  blowing 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  caused  by  these  natural 
laws,  and  it  had  already  made  us  chilly,  after  the  burning 
heat  through  which  we  had  been  traveling.  Should  we  sleep 
in  this  cold  atmosphere, — even  though  we  kept  up  a  fire 
during  the  whole  night, — I  knew  that  we  must  suffer  much. 

"  The  thought  now  entered  into  my  mind  that  I  might  go 
back  to  the  wagon — which  was  only  five  miles  off — and  bring 
up  our  blankets.  Should  I  go  myself  ?  or  send  Cudjo  ?  or 
should  both  of  us  go  ?  All  at  once  the  idea  entered  my  head 
that  one  of  us  might  ride  there,  and  bring  back  a  load  of 
other  articles,  as  well  as  the  blankets.  Our  horse,  who  had 
been  filling  himself  for  the  last  hour  and  a  half  with  good 
grass  and  water,  now  began  to  show  symptoms  of  life  and 
vigor.  Animals  of  this  kind  soon  recover  from  fatigue  Vv'hen 
their  food  and  drink  are  restored  to  them.  I  saw  that  he 
>vou1d  be  quite  able  to  do  the  journey;  so  I  gave  Cudjo  di- 


THE   DESERT    HO^IK.  75 

rccciops  to  catch  him.  There  happened  to  be  a  piece  of 
rope  around  his  neck,  and  this  would  serve  for  a  bridle.  I 
hesitated  for  some  time  whether  both  Cudjo  and  I  should 
leave  Mary  and  the  children  ;  but  my  wife  urged  us  to  go, 
telling  us  she  would  have  no  fear,  as  long  as  Harry  and  Frank, 
with  their  rifles,  remained  with  her.  The  dogs,  too,  would 
stay.  Indeed,  there  was  not  much  danger  of  them  leaving 
her,  while  she  held  in  her  arms  the  little  Luisa,  whom  both 
these  animals  seemed  to  watch  over. 

"  Influenced  by  her  advice,  I  consented  to  leave  her  alone 
with  the  children  ;  and,  giving  directions  that  they  should 
fire  off  one  of  the  rifles,  in  case  of  any  alarm,  I  set  forth  with 
Cudjo  and  the  horse. 

"  We  could  see  the  white  tilt  of  the  wagon  from  the  very 
start ;  and  we  had  no  difficulty  in  guiding  ourselves  to  it. 

"  As  we  passed  onward,  I  was  reflecting  whether  the 
wolves  had  not  already  made  a  meal  of  our  poor  ox  that  we 
iiad  left  by  the  wagon.  If  not,  it  was  my  intention  to  skin 
him,  and  save  the  meat,  lean  and  tough  as  it  must  be — for 
the  animal  looked  more  like  some  dry  skeleton  to  be  pre- 
served in  a  museum  than  anything  else.  Still  I  saw  before 
us  no  prospect  of  a  better  breakfast,  and  I  began  to  grow 
very  anxious  as  to  whether  we  might  find  a  bit  of  him  left. 
At  this  moment,  I  was  startled  from  my  reflections  by  an 
exclamation  from  Cudjo,  who  had  stopped  suddenly,  and  was 
pointing  to  some  object  directly  ahead  of  us,  I  looked  for- 
ward, and  saw  in  the  dim  light  something  that  very  much  re- 
sembled a  large  quadruped. 

"  '  P'raps,  Massa,'  whispered  Cudjo,  '  him  he  be  de  buf 
fler.' 

"  '  Perhaps  it  is  a  buffalo  ;  but  what  is  to  be  done  ?  1 
have  left  my  rifle.  Here,  take  the  horse,  and  I  will  endeavoi 
to  get  near  enough  to  kill  it  with  my  pistols.' 

"  Giving  Cudjo  the  horse,  and  cautioning  him  to  be  silent, 
I  drew  the  largest  of  my  pistols,  and  crept  silently  forward. 
I  went  upon  my  hands  and  knees,  and  very  slowly,  so  as  not 
to  give  the  animal  an  alarm.     As  I  got  nearer,  I  felt  sure  it 


76  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

was  a  buffalo  ;  but  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen,  and  I  could 
see  its  form  but  very  indistinctly.  At  length,  I  believed  I 
had  it  within  range  of  my  pistol.  *  At  least,'  thought  I,  *  if 
I  go  any  nearer,  it  will  make  off  ; '  so  I  halted, — still  upon 
my  knees, — and  made  ready  to  fire.  As  I  raised  my  weapon, 
the  horse  suddenly  neighed  ;  and,  in  answer  to  his  neigh, 
the  strange  animal  uttered  a  loud  roar,  which  I  knew  to  be 
nothing  else  than  the  bellowing  of  an  ox.  And  so  it  proved, 
as  it  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  our  own  ox,  who  had 
left  the  wagon,  and  was  slowly  making  his  way  for  the  moun- 
tain. The  cool  air  had  somewhat  revived  him,  and  instinct, 
or  a  knowledge  of  the  way  we  had  gone,  was  guiding  him  in 
that  direction. 

"  I  know  not  whether  I  was  more  pleased  or  disappointed 
at  meeting  our  old  companion.  A  good  fat  buffalo  would 
have  been  more  welcome  at  the  time  than  a  famished  ox ; 
but  when  I  reflected  that  he  might  yet  help  us  to  get  out  of 
the  desert,  I  felt  that  we  were  fortunate  in  finding  him  still 
alive.  The  horse  and  he  put  their  noses  together,  evidently 
pleased  at  again  meeting  each  other  ;  and  I  could  not  help 
thinking,  as  the  ox  shook  his  long  tail,  that  the  horse  must 
have  told  him  of  the  nice  grass  and  water  that  were  so  near 
him.  The  ox  had  his  reins  upon  him,  and,  lest  he  might 
stray  from  the  track,  we  tied  him  to  a  sage  bush,  so  that  we 
might  take  him  with  us  when  we  came  back. 

"  We  were  about  leaving  him,  when  it  occurred  to  me,  that, 
if  the  ox  only  had  a  little  water,  he  might,  along  with  the 
horse,  enable  us  to  bring  the  wagon  up  to  the  mountain. 
What  a  delightful  surprise  it  would  be  to  Mary,  to  see  us 
return  with  ox,  wagon,  and  all — not  only  the  blankets,  but 
also  our  cups,  pans,  and  cooking  pots,  besides  some  coffee, 
and  other  little  luxuries,  that  were  stored  away  in  our  great 
chest !  '  Ha  ! '  thought  I,  '  that  would  bie  delightful ;  '  and 
I  immediately  communicated  the  idea  to  Cudjo.  My  com- 
panion fully  agreed  with  me,  and  believed  it  quite  possible 
and  practicable.  We  had  brought  along  with  us  the  tin  pot, 
full  of  cool  water  from  the  stream  j  but  it  was  too  narrow 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  77 

at  the  mouth,  and  the  ox  could  not  possibly  drink  out  of 
it. 

"  *  Let  us  gib  it,  Massa  Roff,'  advised  Cudjo,  '  in  de  old 
hoss  bucket,  once  we  gets  'im  back  to  de  wagon.  Ya!  ya  ! 
we  gib  Missa  an  abstonishment.'  And  my  light-hearted 
companion  laughed  with  delight  at  the  prospect  of  making 
his  mistress  happy  on  our  return. 

"  Without  further  parley,  we  unloosed  the  rein  from  the 
sage  bush,  and  led  the  ox  back  towards  the  wagon.  Neither 
of  us  rode  the  horse,  as  we  knew  he  would  have  enough  to 
do  in  dragging  up  his  share  of  the  load. 

"  On  reaching  the  wagon,  we  found  everything  as  we 
had  left  it ;  but  several  large,  white  wolves  were  prowling 
around,  and,  no  doubt,  it  had  been  the  sight  of  them  that 
had  roused  the  ox,  and  imparted  to  him  the  energy  that  had 
enabled  him  to  get  away  from  the  spot. 

"  We  soon  found  the  bucket ;  and,  pouring  the  water  into 
it,  set  it  before  the  ox,  who  drank  every  drop  of  it,  and  then 
licked  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  vessel  until  they  were 
quite  dry.  We  now  hitched-to  both  animals  ;  and,  without 
more  ado,  drove  off  towards  our  little  camp  at  the  mountain. 

"  We  guided  ourselves  by  the  fire,  which  we  could  see 
burning  brightly  under  the  dark  shadow  of  the  cliffs.  Its 
blaze  had  a  cheering  effect  on  the  spirits  both  of  my  com- 
panion and  myself  ;  and  even  the  horse  and  ox  seemed  to 
understand  that  it  would  be  the  end  of  their  journey,  an^ 
pressed  forward  with  alacrity  to  reach  it. 

"  When  within  about  half  a  mile,  I  heard  the  report  of  a 
rifle  ringing  among  the  rocks.  I  was  filled  with  alarm. 
Were  Mary  and  the  children  attacked  by  Indians  ? — perhaps 
by  some  savage  animal  ? — perhaps  by  the  grisly  bear  ? 

"  I  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  but  ran  forward,  leaving 
Cudjo  with  the  wagon.  I  drew  my  pistol,  and  held  it  in 
readiness  as  I  advanced,  all  the  while  listening  eagerly  to 
catch  every  sound  that  might  come  from  the  direction  of  thf 
fire.  Once  or  twice  I  stopped  for  short  intervals  to  breathe 
and  listen  ;  but  there  were  no  noises  from  the  camp.     What 


78  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

could  be  the  meaning  of  the  silence  ?  Where  were  the 
dogs  ?  I  knew  that,  had  they  been  attacked  by  a  grisly 
bear,  or  any  other  animal,  I  should  have  heard  their  barks 
and  worrying.  But  there  was  not  a  sound.  Had  they  been 
killed  all  at  once  by  Indian  arrows,  so  silent  in  their  deadly 
effect  ?  ()  God  1  had  my  wife  and  children,  too,  fallen  vic- 
tims? 

"  Filled  with  painful  apprehensions,  I  ran  forward  with 
increased  energy,  determined  to  rush  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy,  whoever  they  might  be,  and  sell  my  life  as  dearly  as 
possible. 

"  At  length,  I  came  within  full  view  of  the  fire.  What 
was  my  astonishment,  as  well  as  joy,  on  seeing  my  wife  sit- 
ting by  the  blaze,  with  little  Luisa  upon  her  knee,  while 
Mary  was  playing  upon  the  ground  at  her  feet !  But  where 
were  Harry  and  Frank  ?  It  was  quite  incomprehensible.  I 
knew  that  they  would  not  have  fired  the  rifle  to  alarm  me 
unnecessarily ;  yet  there  sat  Mary,  as  though  no  rifle  had 
been  fired. 

"  <  What   was    it,    dear   Mary  ? '      I    cried,    running    up. 
'  Where  are  the  boys  ?     They  discharged  the  rifle  ;  did  they 
not?' 
.  "  '  They  did,'  she  replied  ;  '  Harry  fired  at  something.' 
At  what  ?  at  what  ? '     I  inquired. 

At  some  animal,  I  know  not  what  kind  ;  but  I  think 
they  must  have  wounded  it,  for  they  all  ran  out,  dogs  and 
all,  after  the  shot,  and  have  not  yet  come  back.' 

"  '  In  what  direction  ? '     I  asked,  hurriedly. 

"  Mary  pointed  out  the  direction  ;  and,  without  waiting 
further,  I  ran  off  into  the  darkness.  When  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  fire,  I  came  upon  Harry,  Frank,  and  the 
mastiffs,  standing  over  some  animal  which  I  saw  was  quite 
d^ad.  Harry  was  not  a  little  proud  of  the  shot  he  had  made 
c<.nd  expected  me  to  congratulate  him,  which  of  course  I  did  ; 
^nd  laying  hold  of  the  animal  by  one  of  its  hind  legs, — for  it 
had  no  tail  to  lay  hold  of, — I  dragged  it  forward  to  the  ?'ght 
of  the  fire.     It  appeared  to  be  about  the  size  of  a  suckmg 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  79 

calf,  though  much  more  elegantly  shaped,  for  its  legs  were 
long  and  slender,  and  its  shanks  not  thicker  than  a  common 
Avalkmg  cane.  It  was  of  a  palen'ed  color,  whitish  along  the 
breast  and  belly,  but  its  large,  languishing  eyes  and  slender 
forking  horns  told  me  at  once  what  sort  of  animal  it  was ;  it 
was  the  prong-horned  antelope — the  only  species  of  antelope 
found  in  North  America. 

"  Mary  now  related  the  adventure.  While  they  were 
sitting  silently  by  the  fire,  and  somewhat  impatiently  await- 
ing our  return, — for  the  wagon  had  delayed  us  considerably, 
— they  saw  a  pair  of  large  eyes  glancing  in  the  dark- 
ness like  two  candles,  and  not  many  yards  from  where 
they  sat.  They  could  see  nothing  but  the  eyes ;  but  this 
of  itself  was  sufficient  to  alarm  them,  as  they  fancied  it 
might  be  a  wolf,  or,  perhaps,  still  worse — a  bear  or  panther. 
The)  did  not  lose  presence  of  mind,  however ;  and  they 
knew  that  to  escape  by  running  away  would  be  impossible  ; 
so  both  Frank  and  Harry  took  hold  of  their  rifles — though 
Harry  was  foremost  with  his.  He  then  aimed,  as  well  as  he 
could,  between  the  two  glancing  eyes,  ind  pulled  the  trigger. 
Of  course  the  smoke  blinded  them,  and  in  the  darkness  they 
could  not  tell  whether  the  bullet  had  hit  the  animal  or  not ; 
but  the  dogs — who  up  to  this  time  had  been  sleeping  by  the 
lire — sprang  to  their  feet,  and  ran  out  in  pursuit.  They 
could  hear  them  running  for  some  distance,  and  then  they 
heard  a  scramble  and  a  struggle,  and  then  they  were  silent ; 
so  they  concluded — what  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  case — 
thnt  Harry  had  wounded  the  animal,  and  that  the  dogs  had 
caught  and  were  worrying  it.  And  so  they  were,  for  as  the 
boys  got  to  the  spot  they  had  just  killed  it ;  and,  hungry  as 
they  were,  would  soon  have  made  a  meal  of  it,  had  Frank 
and  K'arry  not  got  up  in  good  time  to  take  care  of  that. 
The  antelope  had  been  shot  in  the  shoulder,  and  had  only 
ru/  for  a  short  distance  before  it  fell. 

'■  Although  Harry  did  not  boast  of  his  prowess,  I  saw  that 
ixd  liad  a  triumphant  look — the  more  so  as  this  fine  piece  of 
venison  would  insure  us  all  against  hunger  for  three  days  at 


So  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

the  least ;  and,  considering  that  only  an  hour  before  we  did 
not  know  where  the  next  meal  was  to  come  from,  it  was 
certainly  no  small  matter  to  be  proud  of.  I  thought  just 
then  of  the  surprise  I  had  prepared  for  them,  not  only  in 
bringing  up  the  wagon  which  contained  all  our  utensils  and 
comforts,  but  in  the  recovery  of  our  best  ox. 

"  '  Where  is  Cudjo  ? '  asked  my  wife.  '  Is  he  bringing 
tiie  blankets  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  I,  knowingly,  '  and  a  good  load  besides.' 

"  At  that  moment  was  heard  the  creaking  of  wheels,  and 
the  great  tilt  of  white  canvas  was  seen,  far  out,  reflecting 
back  the  blaze  of  the  fire.  Frank  leaped  to  his  feet,  and  clap- 
ping his  hands  with  delight,  cried  out, — 

*' '  Mamma  !  mamma  !  it  is  the  wagon  !  ' 

"  Then  was  heard  the  loud  voice  of  Cudjo,  in  a  joyous 
*  Wo-ha  ! '  and  the  moment  after,  the  horse  and  ox  stepped 
up  to  the  fire  as  lightly  as  if  the  pull  had  been  a  mere  baga- 
telle, and  they  could  have  stood  it  a  hundred  miles  farther 
without  flinching.  We  were  not  slow  in  relieving  both  of 
them  from  their  traces,  and  giving  them  a  full  swing  at  the 
grass  and  water. 

"  As  it  was  now  late  in  the  night,  and  we  were  all  very 
tired  from  the  fatigues  we  had  undergone,  we  determined  to 
lose  no  time  in  going  to  rest.  Mary  went  to  prepare  a  bed 
in  the  wagon — for  this  was  our  only  tent  ;  and  a  very  ex- 
cellent tent  it  was,  too.  At  the  same  time,  Cudjo  and  I  set 
about  skinning  the  antelope,  so  that  we  might  have  it  in  fine 
order  for  our  breakfast  in  the  morning.  The  dogs,  too,  were 
interested  in  this  operation — for  they,  poor  brutes  !  up  to 
this  time,  had  fared  worse  than  any  of  us.  However,  the 
head,  feet,  and  intestines  fell  to  their  share ;  and  they  soon 
had  a  supper  to  their  hearts'  content.  Having  finished 
skinning  the  antelope,  we  tied  a  rope  to  its  legs,  and  slung 
it  up  to  the  branch  of  a  tree,  high  enough  to  be  out  of  the 
reach  of  wolves,  as  well  as  our  own  dogs,  during  the  night. 

"  Mary  had  by  this  time  completed  the  arrangements  for 
our  sleeping,  and   but  one   thing  more   remained  to  be  done 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  Si 

before  retiring  to  rest.  That  was  a  duty  which  we  never 
neglected,  when  circumstances  admitted  of  its  being  per- 
formed. Mary  knew  tliis,  and  had  brought  out  of  the  wagon 
the  only  book  which  it  contained — the  Bible.  Cudjo  turned 
up  the  pine  logs  upon  the  lire,  and,  seating  ourselves  around 
the  blaze,  I  read  from  the  sacred  book  those  passages  which 
were  most  appropriate  to  our  own  situation — how  God  had 
preserved  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  desert 
wilderness. 

"  Then,  with  clasped  hands  and  grateful  hearts,  we  all 
knelt,  and  offered  thanks  for  our  own  almost  mirac^  lous 
deliverance." 


82  THE    DESERT    HOM^. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  BIGHORNS. 

"Next  morning  we  were  up  by  the  earliest  break  of  day, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  a  beautiful  phenomenon  in 
the  sunrise.  The  whole  country,  to  the  east,  as  far  as  we 
could  see,  was  a  level  plain  ;  and  the  horizon,  of  course,  re- 
sembled that  of  the  ocean  when  calm.  As  the  great  yellow 
globe  of  the  sun  appeared  above  it,  one  could  have  fancied 
that  he  was  rising  out  of  the  earth  itself,  although  he  was 
more  than  ninety  millions  of  miles  distant  from  any  part  of 
it.  It  was  a  beautiful  sky,  into  which  the  sun  was  slowly 
climbing  up.  It  was  of  a  pale-blue  color,  and  without  the 
smallest  cloud — for  on  these  high  table  plains,  in  the  interior 
of  America,  you  may  often  travel  for  days  without  seeing  a 
cloud  as  big  as  a  kite.  We  were  all  in  better  spirits,  for  we  had 
rested  well,  and  had  no  longer  any  fear  of  being  followed  by 
the  savages  who  had  massacred  our  companions.  They  would 
have  been  fools,  indeed,  to  have  made  that  dreadful  journey 
for  all  they  could  have  gotten  from  us.  Moreover,  the  sight 
of  our  antelope,  with  its  nice,  yellow  fat,  crisped  by  the  cold 
night  air,  was  anything  but  disheartening.  As  Cudjowasa 
dexterous  butcher,  I  allowed  him  to  quarter  it,  while  I  shoul- 
dered the  ax  and  marched  off  to  the  mountain  foot,  to  pro- 
cure more  wood  for  the  fire.  Mary  was  busy  among  lur 
pots,  pans,  and  platters,  scouring  and  washing  them  all  in 
the  clear  stream,  for  the  dust  of  the  barren  plains  had  blown 
into  the  wagon  as  we  marched,  and  had  formed  a- tliick  coat- 
ing over  the  vessels.  Fortunately,  we  had  a  good  stock  of 
these  utensils,  consisting  of  a  gridiron,  a  large  camp  kettle, 
a  couple  of  mess  pans,  a  baking  disli,  a  first-rate  coffee- 
pot and    mill,   half    a  dozen  tin  cups   and  plates,  with  an 


THE   DESERT   llOM  li.  .  83 

assortment  of  knives,  forks,  and  spoons.  All  these  things 
we  had  laid  in  at  St.  Louis,  by  the  advice  of  our  Scotch 
friend,  who  knew  very  well  what  articles  were  required  for 
a  journey  across  the  desert. 

"  I  was  not  long  in  getting  the  wood  and  our  iire  was 
soon  replenished  and  blazing  brightly.  Mary  attended  to 
liic  coffee,  which  she  parched  in  one  of  the  mess  pans,  and 
tiien  ground  in  the  mill.  I  handled  the  gridiron  and  broiled 
the  venison  steaks,  while  Cudjo  collected  a  large  supply  of 
locust  beans  and  roasted  Iheni.  These  last  were  to  ser\  e  us 
for  bread,  as  we  had  neither  meal  nor  Hour.  'JMie  supply 
we  had  brought  from  St.  Louis  had  been  exhausted  several 
days  before,  and  we  had  lived  altogether  upon  dried  beef  and 
coffee.  Of  this  last  article  we  were  very  sparing,  as  we  had 
not  over  a  pound  of  it  left,  and  it  was  our  most  precious 
luxury.  We  had  no  sugar  whatever,  nor  crean^  ;  but  we  did 
not  mind  the  want  of  either,  as  those  who  travel  in  the  wilder- 
ness find  coffee  very  palatable  without  them — perhaps  quite  as 
niuch  so  as  it  is  when  mixed  with  the  whitest  of  sugar  and  the 
yellowest  of  cream,  to  the  pampered  appetites  of  those  who 
live  always  at  home.  But,  after  all,  we  should  not  have  to 
drink  our  coffee  without  sweetening,  as  I  observed  that 
Frank,  while  extracting  the  beans  of  the  locust,  was  also 
scraping  the  honeyed  pulp  from  the  pods  and  putting  it  to 
one  side.  He  had  already  collected  nearly  a  plateful  Well 
done,  Frank  I 

"  The  great  mess  chest  had  been  lifted  out  of  the  wagon, 
and  the  lid  of  this,  with  a  cloth  spread  over  it,  served  us  for 
a  table.  For  seats,  we  had  rolled  several  large  stones  around 
the  chest,  and  upon  these  we  sat,  drinking  the  delicious 
coffee,  and  eating  the  savory  steaks  of  venison. 

"  While  we  were  thus  pleasantly  engaged,  I  observed 
Cudjo  suddenly  rolling  the  whites  of  his  eyes  upwards,  at  the 
same  time  exclaiming, — 

"  *  Golly  !  Massa — Massa — lookee  yonder  ! ' 

"  The  rest  of  us  turned  quickly  round — for  wc  had  been 
iiitting  with  our  backs  to  the  mountain— and  looked  in  the 


84  THE    DESERT   HOME. 

direction  indicated  by  Cudjo.  There  were  high  cliffs  front- 
ing us,  and  along  the  face  of  these,  five  large,  reddish  ob- 
jects were  moving,  so  fast,  that  I  at  first  thought  they  were 
birds  upon  the  wing.  After  watching  them  a  moment,  how- 
ever, I  saw  that  they  were  quadrupeds ;  but  so  nimbly  did 
they  go,  leaping  from  ledge  to  ledge,  that  it  was  impossible 
to  see  their  limbs.  They  appeared  to  be  animals  of  the  deer 
species — somewhat  larger  than  sheep  or  goats  ;  but  we  could 
see  that,  in  place  of  antlers,  each  of  them  had  a  pair  of  huge, 
curving  horns.  As  they  leaped  downward,  from  one  plat- 
form of  the  cliffs  to  another,  we  fancied  that  they  whirled 
about  in  the  air,  as  though  they  were  turning  somersets,  and 
seemed  at  times  to  come  down  heads  foremost. 

"  There  was  a  spur  of  the  cliff  that  sloped  down  to  within 
less  than  a  hundred  yards  of  the  place  where  we  sat.  It 
ended  in  an  abrupt  precipice  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
in  height  above  the  plain.  The  animals,  on  reaching  the 
level  of  this  spur,  ran  along  it  until  they  had  arrived  at  its 
end.  Seeing  the  precipice,  they  suddenly  stopped,  as  if  to  re- 
connoiter  it ;  and  we  had  now  a  full  view  of  them,  as  they 
stood  outlined  against  the  sky,  wdth  their  graceful  limbs,  and 
great,  curved  horns,  almost  as  large  as  their  bodies.  We 
thought,  of  course,  they  could  get  no  farther  for  the  preci- 
pice ;  and  I  was  calculating  whether  my  rifle  which  I  had 
laid  hold  of,  would  reach  them  at  that  distance.  All  at  once, 
to  our  astonishment,  the  foremost  sprang  out  from  the  cliff, 
and,  whirling  through  the  air,  lit  upon  his  head  on  the  hard 
plain  below.  We  could  see  that  he  came  down  upon  his 
horns,  and  rebounding  up  again  to  the  height  of  several 
feet,  he  turned  a  second  somerset,  and  then  dropped  upon 
his  legs,  and  stood  still.  Nothing  daunted,  the  rest 
followed,  one  after  the  other,  in  quick  succession,  like  so 
many  street  tumblers  ;  and  like  them,  after  the  feat  had  been 
performed,  the  animals  stood  for  a  moment,  as  if  waiting; 
for  applause. 

"  The  spot  where  they  had  dropped  was  not  more  than 
fifty  paces  from  our  camp ;  but  I  was  so  astonished  at  the 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  85 

tremendous  leap,  that  I  quite  forgot  the  rifle  I  held  in  my 
hands.  The  animals,  too,  seemed  equally  astonished  upon 
discovering  us,  which  they  did  now  for  the  first  time.  The 
yelping  of  the  dogs,  who  rushed  forward  at  the  moment, 
brought  me  to  myself  again,  as  it  did  the  strangers  to  a  sense 
of  their  dangerous  proximity  ;  and,  wheeling  suddenly,  they 
bounded  back  for  the  mountain.  I  fired  after  them  at 
random  ;  but  we  all  supposed  without  effect  as  the  whole 
five  kept  on  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  followed  by  the 
dogs.  Presently  they  commenced  ascending,  as  though  they 
had  wings  ;  but  we  noticed  that  one  of  them  hung  in  the 
rear,  and  seemed  to  leap  upward  with  difficulty.  Upon  this 
one  our  eyes  became  fixed,  as  we  now  fancied  it  was  wounded. 
We  were  right  in  this.  The  rest  soon  disappeared  out  of 
sight ;  but  that  which  lagged  behind,  on  leaping  for  a  high 
ledge,  came  short  in  the  attempt,  and  rolled  backward  down 
the  face  of  the  mountain.  The  next  moment,  we  saw  him 
struggling  between  the  mastiffs. 

"  Cudjo,  Frank,  and  Harry  ran  together  up  the  steep,  and 
soon  returned,  bringing  the  animal  along  with  them,  quite 
dead,  as  the  dogs  had  put  an  end  to  him.  It  was  a  good 
load  for  Cudjo  ;  and  proved,  upon  closer  acquaintance,  to  be 
as  large  as  a  fallow  deer.  From  the  huge,  wrinkled  horns, 
and  other  marks,  I  knew  it  to  be  the  argali,  or  wild  sheep, 
known  among  hunters  by  the  name  of  the  '  bighorn,'  and 
sometimes  spoken  of  in  books  as  the  '  Rocky  Mountain 
sheep ;  '  although,  in  its  general  appearance,  it  looked  more 
like  an  immense  yellow  goat,  or  deer,  with  a  pair  of  rams* 
horns  stuck  upon  his  head.  We  knew,  however,  it  was  not 
bad  to  eat,  especially  to  people  in  our  circumstances ;  and, 
as  soon  as  we  had  finished  our  breakfast,  Cudjo  and  I 
whetted  our  knives,  and  having  removed  the  skin,  hung  up 
the  carcass  alongside  the  remainder  of  the  antelope.  The 
dogs,  for  their  pains,  had  a  breakfast  to  their  satisfaction  ; 
and  the  rest  of  us,  seeing  so  much  fresh  meat  hanging  to  the 
tree,  with  a  cool  stream  of  water  running  beneath  it,  began 
to  fancy  we  were  quite  delivered  from  the  desert. 


S6  THF.    DESERT    HOME. 

"  We  now  sat  down  together  to  deliberate  on  our  future 
proceedings.  Between  the  argah  and  the  antelope,  we  had 
provision  enough  to  last  us  for  a  week  at  least  ;  but  when 
that  was  done,  what  likelihood  was  there  of  our  procuring  a 
further  supply  of  either?  'Not  much,'  thought  we;  f.. 
although  there  might  be  a  few  more  antelopes  and  a  raw 
more  '  bighorns '  about  the  place,  there  could  not  be 
many  with  so  little  appearance  of  anything  for  them  to 
feed  on.  Moreover,  we  might  not  find  it  so  easy  to  kill 
any  more  of  them  ;  for  those  we  had  already  shot  seemed  to 
have  fallen  in  our  way  by  chance,  or — as  we  more  properly 
believed  at  the  time,  and  still  believe — by  the  guiding  of  a 
providential  hand.  But  we  knew  it  was  not  right  or  wise  to 
rely  altogether  on  this — that  is,  we  knew  it  was  our  duty, 
while  trusting  in  its  guidance,  at  the  same  time  to  make  every 
effort  which  lay  in  our  own  power  to  save  curselves.  When 
our  present  supply  should  be  exhausted,  where  was  the  next 
to  come  from  ?  We  could  not  always  live  upon  armadilloes, 
and  argalis,  and  antelopes,  even  supposing  they  were  as 
plenty  as  the  rocks.  But  the  chances  were  ten  to  one  we 
should  get  no  more  of  them.  Our  ox,  in  a  week,  would  have 
improved  in  condition.  He  would  sustain  us  for  a  time ; 
and  then,  our  horse — and  then — and  then — the  dogs — and 
then — we  should  starve  to  a  certainty. 

"  Any  of  these  necessities  was  sufficiently  fearful  to  con- 
template. Should  we  kill  our  ox,  we  would  be  unable  to 
take  the  wagon  along ;  and  how  could  the  horse  carry  v^.  all 
out  of  the  desert  ?  If  we  then  killed  the  horse,  we  should  be 
still  worse  off,  and  utterly  helpless  on  foot.  No  man  can 
cross  the  Great  Desert  on  foot — not  even  the  hunters ;  and 
how  could  we  do  it  ?  To  remain  where  we  were  would  be 
impossible.  There  were  a  few  patches  of  vegetation  on  the 
different  runlets  that  filtered  away  from  the  mountain  foot. 
There  were  clumps  of  willows  growinc^  along  these,  but  not 
enough  of  grass  to  support  any  stock  of  game  upon  which 
we  could  live,  even  were  we  certain  of  being  able  to  cap- 
ture  it.     It   was   evident,  then,    to  us  all,  that  we  should 


THE    DESERT    HO^rE.  87 

i^Ave  to  get  away  from  that  place  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble. 

"  The  next  point  to  be  determined  was,  whether  the  desert 
extended  away  to  the  south,  as  we  already  knew  that  it  did 
to  the  north.  To  ascertain  this,  I  resolved  to  go  around  the 
mountain,  leaving  the  rest  at  the  camp  until  my  return. 

"  Our  horse  was  now  rested,  and  well  fed ;  and  having 
saddled  him,  and  shouldered  my  rifle,  I  mounted  and  rode 
off.  I  kept  around  the  mountain  foot,  going  by  the  eastern 
end.  I  crossed  several  rivulets  resembling  the  one  on  which 
we  had  encamped,  and  noticed  that  all  these  turned  off  to- 
wards the  eastward,  making  their  way  to  a  main  stream.  In 
this  direction,  too,  I  saw  a  few  stunted  trees,  wdth  here  and 
there  an  appearance  of  greenness  on  the  surface.  On  the 
way,  I  saw  an  antelope,  and  another  animal  resembling  a 
deer,  but  differing  from  all  the  deer  I  had  ever  seen,  in  hav- 
ing a  long  tail  like  a  cow.  I  knew  not  at  the  time  what  sort 
of  an  animal  it  was,  as  I  had  never  met  with  any  description 
of  it  in  books  of  natural  history. 

"  After  riding  about  five  miles,  I  had  fairly  got  round  to 
the  east  side  of  the  mountain,  and  could  view  the  country 
away  to  the  south.  As  far  as  my  sight  could  reach,  I  saw 
nothing  but  an  open  plain — if  possible,  more  sterile  in  its 
character  than  that  which  stretched  northward.  The  only 
direction  in  which  there  were  any  signs  of  fertility  v/as  to  the 
east,  and  that  was  but  in  patches  of  scanty  vegetation. 

"  It  was  a  cheerless  prospect.  We  should  now  certainly 
have  a  desert  to  cross  before  we  could  get  to  anv  inhabited 
country.  To  strike  eastwardly  again,  for  the  American  fron- 
tier,— circumstanced  as  we  were,  without  provisions  and  with 
worn-out  cattle, — would  be  madness,  as  the  distance  was  at 
least  eight  hundred  miles.  Besides,  I  knew  there  were  many 
hostile  tribes  of  Indians  living  on  that  route ;  so  that,  even 
should  the  country  prove  fertile,  we  could  never  hope  to  get 
through  it.  To  go  northward  or  southward  would  be  equally 
impossible,  as  there  was  no  civilized  settlement  for  a  thousand 
iwiles  in  either  direction.     Our  only  hope,  then,  would  be,  to 


8S  tHE  D£SERT   HOME. 

attempt  ciossing  the  desert  westwardly  to  the  Mexican  set- 
tlements on  the  Del  Norte' — a  distance  of  nearly  two  hun- 
dred miles.  To  do  this,  we  should  need  first  to  rest  our  ill- 
matched  team  for  several  days.  We  should  also  require  pro- 
visions enough  for  the  route  ;  and  how  were  these  to  be  ob- 
tained ?  *  Again,'  thought  I,  *  we  must  trust  to  Providence, 
who  has  already  so  manifestly  extended  a  helping  hand  to 
us.' 

"  I  observed  that  the  mountain  on  the  southern  face  de- 
scended with  an  easier  slope  toward  the  plain  than  upon  the 
north,  where  it  is  bold  and  precipitous.  From  this  I  con- 
cluded that  a  greater  quantity  of  snow  must  be  melted  and 
run  ofi  in  that  direction.  *  Doubtless,  then,'  thought  I, 
*  there  will  be  a  greater  amount  of  fertility  on  that  side ;  * 
and  I  continued  to  ride  on,  until  I  came  in  sight  of  the 
grove  of  willows  and  cotton  trees  \vhich  line  the  stream 
above  the  valley  here.  I  soon  reached  them,  and  saw  that 
there  was  a  stream  with  considerable  pasturage  near  its  bor- 
ders— much  more  than  where  we  had  encamped.  I  tied  my 
horse  to  a  tree,  and  climbed  some  distance  up  the  mountain, 
in  order  to  get  a  view  of  the  country  south  and  west.  I  had 
not  got  to  a  great  height  when  I  caught  sight  of  the  singular 
chasm  that  seemed  to  open  up  in  the  plam.  I  was  attracted 
wdth  this  peculiarity,  and  determined  to  examine  it.  De- 
scending again  to  where  I  had  left  my  horse,  I  mounted,  and 
rode  straight  for  it.  In  a  short  time  I  stood  upon  the  brink 
of  the  precipice,  and  looked  down  into  this  smiling  valley. 

"  I  cannot  describe  my  sensations  at  that  moment.  Only 
they  whose  eyes  have  been  bent  for  days  on  the  sterile 
wilderness  can  feel  the  full  effect  produced  by  a  scene  of 
fertility  such  as  there  presented  itself.  It  was  late  in  the 
autumn,  and  the  woods  that  lay  below  me — clad  in  all  the 
variegated  livery  of  that  season — looked  like  some  richly- 
colored  picture.  The  music  of  birds  ascended  from  the  groves 
below,  wafted  upward  upon  the  perfumed  and  aromatic  airv 
and  the  whole  scene  appeared  more  like  a  fabled  Elysium 
than  a  reality  of  nature.     I  could  hardly  satisfy  myself  that 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  89 

I  was  not  dreaming,  or  looking  upon  some  fantastic  hallucina- 
tion of  the  7ni?'age. 

"  I  stood  for  many  minutes  in  a  sort  of  trance  gazing  down 
into  the  lovely  valley.  I  could  observe  no  signs  of  human 
habitation.  No  smoke  rose  over  the  trees,  and  no  noises 
issued  forth,  except  the  voices  of  nature,  uttered  in  the  songs 
of  the  birds  and  the  hum  of  falling  waters.  It  seemed  as 
though  man  had  never  desecrated  this  isolated  paradise  by 
his  presence  and  passions. 

"  I  say  I  stood  for  many  minutes  gazing  and  listening.  I 
could  have  remained  for  hours  ;  but  the  sinking  sun  admon- 
ished me  to  hasten  away.  I  was  nearly  twenty  miles  from 
our  camp,  and  my  horse  was  neither  strong  nor  fresh.  De- 
termined, therefore,  to  return  on  the  morrow,  bringing  with 
me  my  companions  and  all  that  belonged  to  us,  I  turned  my 
horse's  head  and  rode  back.  It  was  late  in  the  night — near 
midnight — when  I  reached  camp.  I  found  everything  as  I 
had  left  it,  except  that  Mary  was  in  great  anxiety  about  what 
had  delayed  me  so  long.  But  my  return,  and  the  discovery 
which  I  communicated,  soon  restored  her  spirits  ;  and  we 
laid  out  our  plans  for  changing  our  camp  to  the  valley,  de- 
termined to  set  forth  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning." 


QO  TU£  DbSERl    HOM£. 


CHAPTER  Xra. 

THE    C-.REAT   ELK. 

"  We  were  stirring  by  sunrise  next  morning,  and  hav  ng 
breakfasted  heartily,  we  packed  our  wagon  and  started  away 
from  ciar  camp,  wliicli  we  liad  named  '  Camp  Antelope.' 
The  s*"eam  we  called  '  Bighorn  Creek '  ever  afterxA-ards. 
We  arrived  at  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  about  an  hour  be- 
fore sunset.  Here  we  passed  the  night.  Next  day  I  started 
out  to  find  some  path  by  which  we  might  get  down  into  the 
bottom.  I  rode  for  miles  along  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  but  to 
my  surprise  I  found  that  on  both  sides  ran  a  steep  precipice, 
and  I  began  to  fear  that  the  tempting  paradise  was  inac- 
cessible, and  had  only  been  created  to  tantalize  us.  At 
length  I  reached  the  lower  end,  where,  as  you  have  noticed, 
the  precipice  is  much  less  elevated,  on  account  of  the  sloping  of 
the  upper  plain.  Here  I  came  upon  a  path  winding  grad- 
ually down,  upon  which  I  saw  the  footmarks  of  animals  of 
various  kinds.     This  was  exactly  what  I  wanted. 

"  In  this  valley  we  could  remain  until  our  cattle  were  suf* 
ficiently  recruited  to  face  the  desert,  while  with  our  rifles  we 
should  be  able  to  procure  a  sufficient  stock  of  provisions  for 
the  journey. 

"  I  started  back  for  the  wagon  ;  but  as  I  had  consumed 
most  of  the  day  in  my  explorations,  it  was  late  when  I 
reached  it;  and  we  remained  another  night  at  our  camp  on 
the  stream  which  we  named  the  '  Willow  Camp.' 

"  Next  morning,  we  started  early.  On  arriving  at  the 
point  where  the  path  led  down,  we  halted  the  wagon.  Mary 
and  the  children  remained  with  it,  while  Cudjo  and  I  de- 
scended into  the  valley  to  reconnoiter.  The  woods  were 
quit"?  tliick,  the  trees  apparently  all  bound  together  by  huge 


THE    DKSERT    HOME.  9I 

vines,  that  str<^tched  from  one  to  the  othei  like  iiiinieiise  ser- 
pents. There  was  a  thick-undcrgruwth  of  cane  but  we  saw 
that  a  trail  had  been  made  through  this  by  the  passage  of 
numerous  animals.  There  were  no  human  footmarks  to  be 
seen,  nor  any  signs  that  a  human  being  had  ever  been  upon 
the  spot. 

"  We  followed  the  trail  that  led  us  directly  to  the  banks 
of  the  stream.  It  was  then  very  shallow,  and  a  great  part 
of  its  shingly  bed  was  dry.  I  saw  that  this  would  afford  a 
good  road  for  our  wagon,  and  we  kept  on  up  the  channel. 
About  three  miles  from  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  we  came 
to  a  place  where  thew^oods  were  more  open,  and  less  choked 
up  w^ith  underwood.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  stream  there 
was  a  rising  ground,  forming  a  clear  space  of  large  extent, 
wdth  only  a  tree  growing  here  and  there.  This  ground 
sloped  gently  down  to  the  stream,  and  w^as  covered  with 
beautiful  herbage,  both  grass  and  flowers.  It  was  a  lovely 
spot ;  and  as  we  came  suddenly  out  upon  it,  several  animals, 
frightened  by  our  approach,  bounded  off  into  the  thickets 
beyond.  We  stopped  for  a  moment  to  gaze  upon  the  bright 
picture.  Birds  of  brilliant  wing  w^ere  fluttering  among  the 
many-colored  leaves,  singing  or  screaming,  and  chasing  each 
other  from  tree  to  tree.  There  were  parrots,  and  paroquets, 
and  orioles,  and  blue  jays,  and  beautiful  loxias,  both  of  the 
scarlet  and  azure-colored  species.  There  were  butterflies, 
too,  with  broad  wings,  mottled  all  over  with  the  most  vivid 
tints,  flapping  about  from  flower  to  flower.  Many  of  these 
were  as  large  as  some  of  the  birds,  and  far  larger  than 
others  ;  for  w^e  saw  flocks  of  tiny  Juimming-birds,  not  bigger 
than  bees,  shooting  about  like  sparkling  gems,  and  balancing 
themselves  over  the  cups  of  the  open  flowers. 

"  It  was  a  beautiful  scene,  indeed ;  and  Crdjo  and  I  at 
once  agreed  that  that  was  the  very  place  to  pitch  our  camp. 
At  the  time,  we  meant  it  only  for  a  camp — a  spot  where  we 
might  remain  until  our  animals  had  recruited  their  strength, 
and  we  had  collected  from  the  forests  around  provision 
enough  for  the  desert  journey.     A  temporary  camp,  indeed! 


92  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

That,  gentlemen,  is  ten  years  ago,  and  here  we  are  iipun  the 
same  spot  at  this  moment !  Yes,  my  friends,  this  house 
stands  in  the  middle  of  that  very  glade  I  have  been  describ- 
ing. You  will  be  surprised,  when  I  tell  you  there  w-as  no 
lake  then,  nor  the  appearance  of  one.  That  came  after- 
wards, as  you  shall  hear. 

"  What  the  lake  now  is,  was  then  part  of  the  glade  ;  and 
its  surface,  like  the  rest,  was  covered  with  beautiful  vegeta- 
tion, with  here  and  there  trees  standing  alone,  and  in  small 
clumps,  which  gave  it  a  most  park-like  appearance.  In 
fact,  we  could  not  help  fancying  that  there  was  some  splen- 
did mansion  in  the  background  to  which  it  belonged,  al- 
though we  saw  that  the  thick,  dark  woods  surrounded  it  on 
all  sides. 

"  We  did  not  remain  longer  than  was  necessary  to  ex- 
umine  the  ground.  We  knew  that  Mary  would  be  anxiously 
looking  for  us,  so  we  hastened  back  to  our  wagon.  In  less 
than  three  hours  from  that  time,  the  wagon,  with  its  snow- 
white  tilt,  stood  in  the  center  of  the  glade,  and  the  ox  and 
horse,  loosed  from  their  labor,  were  eagerly  browsing  over 
the  rich  pasture.  The  children  were  playing  on  the  green- 
sward, under  the  shadow  of  a  spreading  magnolia,  while 
Mary,  Cudjo,  the  boys,  and  myself  were  engaged  in  various 
occupations  about  the  ground.  The  birds  flew  around  us, 
chattering  and  screaming,  to  the  great  delight  of  our  little 
ones.  They  came  quite  close  to  our  encampment,  perching 
upon  the  nearest  trees,  and  wondering,  no  doubt,  what 
strange  creatures  we  were,  who  had  thus  intruded  upon  their 
hitherto  untenanted  domain.  I  w^as  glad  to  see  them  thus 
curious  about  us,  as  I  argued  from  this  that  the  sight  of  man 
was  new  to  them,  and,  therefore,  we  should  be  in  no  danger 
of  meeting  with  any  of  our  own  kind  in  the  valley  It  is 
strange,  that,  of  all  others,  man  was  the  animal  we  most 
dreaded  to  meet.  Yet  such  was  the  case ;  for  we  knew 
that  any  human  beings  we  might  fall  in  with  in. such  a  place 
would  be  Indians,  and,  in  all  probability,  would  prove  our 
most  cruel  enemies. 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  93 

"  It  was  still  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  determined  to 
do  nothing  for  the  remainder  of  that  day  but  rest  ourselves, 
as  we  had  all  experienced  considerable  fatigue  in  getting  our 
wagon  up  the  stream.  Rocks  had  to  be  removed,  and  oc- 
casionally a  way  hewed  through  the  thick  branches.  But 
the  difficulty  being  now  over,  we  felt  as  though  we  had 
reached  a  home,  and  we  set  about  enjoying  it.  Cudjo  built 
a  fire,  and  erected  a  crane  over  it,  upon  Avhich  to  hang  our 
pots  and  kettles.  The  crane  consisted  of  two  forked  sticks 
driven  into  the  ground,  one  on  each  side  of  the  fire,  with 
a  long  pole  placed  horizontally,  and  resting  upon  the 
forks.  This  is  the  usual  manner  of  making  the  crane 
among  backwoods'  travelers,  who  cook  their  meals  in  the 
open  air.  The  tripod  crane,  used  by  gypsies  in  Europe,  is 
rarely  to  be  seen  among  the  wanderers  of  the  American  wil- 
derness. 

"  In  a  short  time,  our  camp  kettle,  filled  with  pure  water, 
was  boiling  and  bubbling  to  receive  the  aromatic  coffee ; 
and  the  remainder  of  the  antelope,  suspended  over  the  fire, 
was  roasting  and  sputtering  in  the  blaze.  Mary  had  set  out 
the  great  chest,  covered  with  a  clean,  white  cloth — for  she 
had  washed  it  the  day  before  ;  and  upon  this,  our  tin  plates 
and  cups — scoured  until  they  were  shining  like  silver — were 
regularly  arranged.  When  all  these  little  preparations  had 
been  made,  we  seated  ourselves  around  the  fire  and  watched 
the  dainty  venison  as  it  became  browned  and  crisped  in  the 
blaze.  Cudjo  had  suspended  the  joint  by  a  piece  of  strong 
cord,  so  that,  by  simply  whirling  it  around,  it  would  then 
continue  for  some  time  turning  itself,  as  well  as  if  it  had  been 
upon  a  patent  jackspit.  We  were  congratulating  ourselves 
on  the  fine  supper  we  were  likely  soon  to  partake  of,  when 
all  at  once  our  attention  was  directed  to  a  noise  that 
came  out  of  the  woods,  near  the  border  of  the  open  ground. 
There  was  a  rustling  of  leaves,  with  a  cracking  sound  as 
of  dead  sticks,  broken  by  the  hoofs  of  some  heavy  animal. 
All  our  eyes  were  immediately  turned  in  that  direction. 
Presently  we  saw  the  leaves  in  motion,  and  the  next  mo- 


94  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

ment  three  large  animals  stepped  out  into  the  glade,  appar- 
ently with  the  intention  of  crossing  it. 

"  At  lirst  sight  we  thought  they  were  deer,  for  each  of  them 
carried  a  pair  of  branching  antlers  ;  but  their  great  size  at 
once  distinguished  them  from  any  of  the  deer  species  we  had 
ever  seen.  Any  one  of  them  was  as  large  as  a  Flemish 
horse,  and  their  huge  antlers,  rising  several  feet  above  their 
heads,  gave  them  the  appearance  of  being  still  much  larger. 
On  seeing  the  branched  and  towering  horns,  we  took  them 
for  deer — and  in  fact  they  were  so  ;  but  far  differing  from 
either  the  red  or  fallow  deer  that  are  to  be  met  with  in  parks 
and  forests.  They  were  elk — the  great  elk  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

"  Qn  coming  out  of  the  timber,  they  marched  forward,  one 
after  the  other,  with  a  proud  step,  that  showed  the  confidence 
they  placed  in  their  great  size  and  strength,  as  well  as  in  the 
pointed  weapons  which  they  carried  upon  their  heads,  and 
which  they  can  use  upon  an  enemy  with  terrible  effect. 
Their  appearance  was  extremely  majestic ;  and  we  all  ad- 
mired them  in  silence  as  they  approached,  for  they  came 
directly  towards  our  camp. 

"  At  length  they  caught  sight  of  our  w^agon  and  fire — 
neither  of  which  objects,  up  to  this  time,  they  had  seen.  All 
at  once  they  halted,  tossed  up  their  heads,  snorted,  and 
then  continued  for  some  moments  to  gaze  at  us  with  an  ex- 
pression of  wonder. 

" '  They  will  be  off,  now,'  I  muttered  in  an  undertone  to 
my  wife  and  Cudjo.  *  No  doubt  they  will  be  off  in  a  moment, 
and  they  are  entirely  out  of  reach  of  my  rifle.' 

"  I  had  caught  hold  of  the  gun  on  first  seeing  them,  and 
held  it  in  readiness  across  my  knees.  Harry  and  Frank  had 
also  seized  their  small  pieces. 

"  *  What  pity,  Massa  Roff,'  said  Cudjo,  *  de  big  rifle  no 
reach  'em  I  Golly !  de  be  ebery  one  fat  as  Vaginny  'pos- 
sum 1  *  . 

'*  I  was  thinking  whether  I  might  not  creep  a  little  closer  to 
them,  when,  to  our  surprise,  the  animals,  instead  of  starting  off 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  95 

into  the  woods  again,  came  several  paces  nearer,  and  again 
halted,  tossing  up  their  heads  with  ii  snore  similar  to  that  which 
they  had  uttered  before.  I  say  that  this  astonished  all  of 
us,  for  we  had  heard  that  the  elk  was  an  exceedingly  shy 
animal.  So,  too,  they  are,  of  any  danger  to  whi(!h  they  are 
accustomed ;  but,  like  most  of  the  deer  and  antelope  tribe, 
their  curiosity  is  greater  than  their  fear,  and  they  will  ap- 
proach any  object  which  may  be  new  to  them,  and  examine 
it  minutely,  before  running  off.  I  saw  that  curiosity  had 
brought  them  so  much  closer  to  us ;  and,  thinking  they  might 
advance  still  nearer,  I  cautioned  my  companions  to  remain 
silent  and  without  making  any  stir. 

"  The  wagon,  with  its  great  white  tilt,  appeared  to  be  the 
main  attraction  to  our  strange  visitors ;  and,  after  eying  it  a 
moment  with  looks  of  wonder,  they  again  moved  several  paces 
forward,  and  stopped  as  before.  A  third  time  they  advanced 
towards  it,  and  again  made  halt. 

"  As  the  wagon  was  at  some  distance  from  where  we  were 
sitting  by  the  fire,  their  movements  towards  it  brought  their 
great  sides  somewhat  into  our  view.  Their  last  advance, 
moreover,  had  brought  the  leader  within  range  of  my  rifle.' 
He  was  much  the  largest  of  the  three,  and  I  determined  to 
wait  no  longer,  but  let  him  have  it ;  so,  leveling  my  piece 
at  the  place  which  I  supposed  lay  nearest  to  his  heart,  I 
pulled  trigger. 

"'Missed  him!'  thought  I,  as  the  thr^e  great  animals 
wheeled  in  their  tracks,  and  went  away  like  lightning.  What 
was  strange  to  us,  they  did  not  gallop,  as  most  deer  do,  but 
went  off  in  a  sort  of  shambling  trot,  like  a  '  pacing  '  horse, 
and  quite  as  fast  as  a  horse  could  gallop. 

"  The  dogs — which,  up  to  this  time,  Cud  jo  had  been  hold- 
ing by  their  necks — dashed  after  with  yelps  and  barking. 
They  were  all — both  elk  and  dogs — soon  lost  to  our  eyes  • 
but  for  some  time  we  could  hear  the  elk  breaking  througn 
the  thick  cane  and  bushes,  with  the  dogs  yelling  in  close 
pursuit. 

"I  thought  there  would  be  no  chance  of  the  mastiffs  com- 


96  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

ing  up  with  them,  and  was,  therefore,  not  intending  to  follow ; 
when  all  at  once  I  heard  the  voices  of  the  dogs  change  from 
yelping  to  that  of  a  worrying  sound,  as  though  they  were  en- 
gaged in  a  fierce  conflict  with  one  another. 

*' '  Perhaps  I  have  wounded  the  animal,  and  they  have 
overtaken  it,'  said  I.  '  Come,  Cudjo !  let  us  after  and  see, 
Boys,  remain  to  take  care  of  your  mother." 

*'  I  laid  hold  of  Harry's  rifle,  and,  followed  by  Cudjo,  ran 
across  the  glade  in  the  track  which  both  elk  and  dogs  had 
taken.  As  we  entered  the  bushes,  I  saw  that  their  leaves 
were  sprinkled  with  blood. 

"  *  No  doubt,'  said  I,  *  he  is  wounded,  and  badly,  too. 
We  shall  have  him  yet.' 

"  '  Dat  we  shall,  Massa  ! '  cried  Cudjo  ;  and  we  ran  on  as 
fast  as  we  could  through  the  thick  canebrake,  in  the  track 
made  by  the  animals.  I  ran  ahead  of  my  companion,  as 
Cudjo  was  rather  slow  of  foot  Every  here  and  there  I  saw 
gouts  of  blood  on  the  leaves  and  cane,  and,  guided  by  the 
hoarse  voices  of  the  mastiffs,  I  soon  reached  the  spot  where 
they  were.  Sure  enough,  the  wounded  elk  was  there,  down 
upon  his  knees,  and  defending  himself  with  his  antlers  ; 
while  one  of  the  dogs  lay  sprawling  on  the  ground,  and 
howling  with  pain.  The  other  still  kept  up  the  fight,  en- 
deavoring to  seize  the  elk  from  behind  ;  but  the  latter  spun 
round,  as  though  his  knees  were  upon  a  pivot,  and  always 
presented  his  horny  spikes  in  the  direction  of  the  attack. 

"  I  was  afraid  the  elk  might  get  a  blow  at  one  of  our  brave 
dogs,  and  put  an  end  to  him,  so  I  fired  hastily,  and,  regard- 
less of  consequences,  ran  forward  to  finish  him  with  the  butt 
of  the  rifle.  I  struck  with  all  my  might,  aiming  directly  for 
his  head,  but  in  my  hurry  I  missed  him;  and,  carried  for- 
ward with  the  force  which  I  had  thrown  into  the  blow,  I  fell 
right  into  the  midst  of  his  branching  antlers  !  I  dropped  my 
rifle,  and  seized  hold  of  the  points,  with  the  intention  of  ex- 
tricating myself ;  but  before  I  could  do  so,  the  elk  had  risen 
to  liis  feet,  and,  with  a  powerful  jerk  of  his  head,  tossed  me 
high  into  the  air.     1  came  down   upon  a  thick  network  of 


THE  Df:Sh;RT   HOME.  97 

vines  and  branches ;  and,  my  presence  of  mind  still  remain- 
ing, I  clutched  them  as  I  fell,  and  held  on.  It  was  well  that 
I  did  so,  for  directly  under  me  the  infuriated  animal  was 
bounding  from  point  to  point,  evidently  in  search  of  me,  and 
wondering  where  I  had  gone.  Had  I  fallen  back  to  the 
earth,  instead  of  clinging  to  the  branches,  he  would,  no  doubt, 
'Jave  crushed  me  to  pieces  with  his  fearful  horns. 

"  For  some  moments  I  lay  quite  helpless  where  I  had  been 
flung,  watching  what  was  passing  below.  The  mastiff  still 
continued  his  attack,  but  was  evidently  cowed  by  the  fate  of 
his  companion,  and  only  snapped  at  the  elk  when  he  could 
get  round  to  his  flanks.  The  other  dog  lay  among  the  weeds, 
howling  piteously. 

"At  this  moment  Cudjo  appeared  in  sight,  for  I  had 
headed  him  some  distance  in  my  haste.  I  could  see  the 
whites  of  his  great  eyes  turned  up  in  wonderment  when  he 
perceived  the  rifle  lying  upon  the  ground  without  seeing  me. 
I  had  barely  time  to  utter  a  shout  of  warning,  when  the  elk 
spied  him  ;  and,  lowering  his  head,  rushed  upon  him  with  a 
loud  and  furious  snort. 

"  I  was  filled  with  fear  for  my  faithful  follower  and  friend. 
I  saw  that  he  carried  a  large  Indian  spear — which  he  had 
found  at  the  camp  where  our  companions  had  been  massa- 
cred,— but  I  had  no  hope  of  his  being  able  to  ward  off  the 
impetuous  attack.  I  saw  that  he  did  not  even  point  the 
weapon  to  receive  the  enraged  animal,  but  stood  like  a  statue. 
'  He  is  paralyzed  with  terror,'  thought  I ;  and  I  expected 
the  next  moment  to  see  him  impaled  upon  the  sharp  antlers 
and  gored  to  death.  But  I  had  very  much  mistaken  my  man 
Cudjo.  When  the  horns  were  within  two  feet  of  his  breast, 
he  stepped  nimbly  behind  a  tree,  and  the  elk  passed  him 
with  a  rush.  So  quick  had  been  the  action,  that  for  a  mo- 
merit  I  thought  he  had  gone  under,  but,  o  my  agreeable  sur- 
prise, the  next  moment  I  saw  him  start  out  from  the  tree,  and 
making  a  lunge  with  the  spear,  bury  it  among  the  ribs  of 
the  animal.  No  matador  in  all  Spain  could  have  perforiiied 
the  feat  mor«  cleverly. 

7 


^  THE    DESERl-    HOME. 

»  V  shouted  with  cklight  as  I  saw  the  huge  body  rolling  to 
ihe  earth;  and  dropping  down  from  my  perch,  1  ran  towards 
the  spot.  On  reaching  it,  I  found  the  elk  panting  in  the 
throes  of  death,  while  Cudjo  stood  over  his  body  safe  and 
triumphant. 

*' '  Bravo !  '  cried  I,  *  my  brave  Cudjo,  you  have  ended 
him  in  earnest.' 

" '  Yes.  Massa,'  replied  Cudjo,  coolly,  though  evidently 
with  some  slight  symptoms  of  triumph  in  his  manner ;  '  yes, 
Massa  RofI:',  dis  black  niggur  hab  gin  de  gemman  a  settler 
under  de  rib  number  five.  He  butt  de  breath  out  of  poor 
Cassy  no  more — poor  old  Cassy  ! '  And  Cudjo  commenced 
caressing  the  aog  Castor,  which  was  the  one  that  had  suf- 
fered most  fr^>m  the  horns  of  the  elk. 

"  We  were  now  joined  by  Harry,  who,  hearing  the  strug- 
gle, could  remam  no  longer  in  the  camp.  Fortunately,  we 
found  his  rifle  quite  safe  ;  and  Cudjo,  drawing  his  knife,  let 
the  blood  om.  of  the  animal  in  a  scientific  manner.  From 
its  great  weigh  c, — not  less  than  a  thousand  pounds, — we  saw 
that  we  could  not  take  the  whole  carcass  to  camp  without 
yoking  either  .  he  horse  or  ox  to  it,  so  we  resolved  to  skin 
and  quarter  it  where  it  lay.  After  going  back  for  the  nec- 
essary implements,  as  well  as  to  announce  our  success,  we 
returned  again,  and  soon  finished  the  operation.  Before  the 
sun  had  set,  nearly  a  thousand  pounds  of  fresh  elk  meat  were 
dangling  from  the  trees  around  our  little  encampment.  We 
had  purposely  delayed  eating  until  our  work  should  be  done; 
and  while  Cucijo  and  I  were  engaged  in  hanging  up  the  hug( 
quarters,  Mary  had  been  busy  with  the  gridiron,  and  an  elJ 
rump  steak — c.uite  equal  to  the  best  beef — added  to  the  e: 
cellence  of  om  supper. 


THE   DEoERl    HOME. 


95 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ADVENTURE   WITH   THE   CARCAJOU. 

*'We  arose  early  next  morning,  and  having  eaten  a  hearty 
reakfast  of  elk  steaks  and  coffee,  began  to  consider  what 
was  the  next  thing  to  be  done.  We  had  now  quite  "enough 
of  meat  to  carry  us  to  the  end  of  the  longest  journey ;  and  it 
only  remained  to  be  cured,  so  that  it  would  keep  on  the  way. 
But  how  were  we  to  cure  it,  when  v/e  had  not  a  particle  of 
salt  ?  Here  was  a  difficulty  which  for  a  moment  looked  us 
in  the  face.  Only  for  a  moment ;  for  I  soon  recollected  that 
there  was  a  way  of  preserving  meat  without  salt,  which  has 
always  been  much  in  us-^  among  Spanish  people,  and  in 
countries  where  salt  is  very  scarce  and  dear.  I  had  heard, 
too,  that  this  method  was  much  practised  among  the  trappers 
and  hunters  when  laying  up  a  stock  of  buffalo  flesh,  or  of 
any  other  animals  they  might  chance  to  kill.     It  ii»  called 

*  jerking,'  and   the    meat  when  thus  prepared  goes  by  the 
name   of  'jerked   mea'.'      By   the  Spaniards,  it   is   called 

*  tasajo.' 

"  I  rememi  ered  having  read  an  account  ol  the  process ; 
and,  after  instructing  Cudjo  in  it,  we  immeclid<:ely  set  about 
'  jerking  '  the  elk.  We  first  built  a  large  fire,  upon  which 
we  placed  a  great  many  sticks  of  green  wood,  fresh  cut  from 
the  tree.  This  was  done  so  that  the  fire  might  burn  slowly, 
and  throw  out  a  great  volume  of  smoke.  W^e  then  stuck 
several  stakes  into  the  ground,  around  the  fire,  and  stretched 
lines  from  one  to  the  other.  This  being  done,  we  touk 
down  the  quarters  of  the  elk,  and  removed  the  meat  from 
the  bones,  cutting  it  off  in  thin  strips,  each  of  them  ovcy  a 
yard  in  length.  These  strips  we  hung  over  the  lines  already 
prepared,  so  that  they  might  be  exposed  to  the  smoke  and 


lOO  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

heat  of  the  fire,  although  not  so  much  as  to  cause  them  to 
be  broiled.  The  whole  process  was  now  ended,  excepting 
that  it  would  be  necessary  for  us  to  look  occasionally  to  the 
fire,  as  well  as  to  see  that  the  dogs  and  wolves  did  not  leap 
up  and  snap  off  the  meat,  that  hung  down  from  the  lines  like 
so  many  strings  of  sausages.  In  about  three  days  the  flesh 
of  the  elk  would  be  '  jerked,'  and  capable  of  being  carried  to 
any  distance  without  the  danger  of  spoiUng. 

"  During  these  three  days,  we  all  remained  very  much  in 
the  neighborhood  of  our  camp.  We  might  have  procured 
more  game,  had  we  gone  out  to  hunt  for  it ;  but  we  did  not 
do  this,  for  three  reasons :  first,  because  we  had  enough  for 
our  wants  ;  secondly,  we  did  not  wish,  under  the  circum- 
stances, to  waste  a  single  charge  of  ammunition  ;  and,  lastly, 
because  we  had  seen  the  tracks  of  bears  and  panthers  by  the 
stream.  We  did  not  wish  to  risk  meeting  with  any  of  these 
customers  in  the  dark  and  tangled  woods  ;  which  we  should 
have  been  likely  enough  to  do,  had  we  gone  far  out  in  pur- 
suit of  game.  We  were  determined  to  leave  them  unmolested 
as  long  as  they  should  preserve  a  similar  line  of  conduct 
towards  us  ;  and,  in  order  to  prevent  any  of  them  from  in- 
truding into  our  camp  while  we  were  asleep,  we  kept  a  circle 
of  fires  burning  around  the  wagon  throughout  the  night. 

"  During  these  three  days,  however,  we  were  not  without 
fresh  viands,  and  those,  too,  of  the  most  luxurious  and  de- 
licate kinds.  I  had  succeeded  in  killing  a  wild  turkey,  which, 
along  with  several  others,  had  entered  the  glade,  and  run  close 
up  to  our  camp  before  they  saw  us.  He  was  a  large  *  gob- 
bler,'— over  twenty  pounds  in  weight, — and,  I  need  not  tell 
you ;  proved  far  more  delicious  eating  than  his  tame  cousins 
of  the  farm-yard. 

"  At  the  end  of  the  third  day,  the  elk  meat  was  as  dry  as 
a  chip ;  and,  taking  it  from  the  lines,  we  packed  it  in  small 
bundles,  and  placed  it  in  our  wagon.  We  now  thought  of 
waiting  only  until  our  animals  should  be  fairly  recruited  ;  and 
as  both  horse  and  ox  were  up  to  their  eyes,  from  morning 
till  night,  in  rich  pasturage,  and  began  to  fill  out  about  the 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  101 

flanks,  we  were  congratulating  ourselves  that  we  should  not 
have  to  wait  long. 

"  Of  how  little  value  are  human  calculations  I  Just  at  that 
moment,  when  we  were  so  sanguine  of  being  able  soon  to 
escape  from  our  desert  prison,  an  event  occurred,  which 
rendered  that  escape  altogether  impossible — for  years,  at 
least,  and,  it  might  be,  forever.  But  I  will  detail  the  cir- 
cumstance as  it  happened. 

"  It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  the  fourth  day  after  we  had 
had  entered  the  valley.  We  had  just  finished  dinner,  and 
were  sitting  near  the  fire,  watching  the  two  children,  Mary 
and  Luisa,  as  they  rolled  in  joyous  innocence  over  the  smooth 
greensward.  My  ,.ife  and  I  were  conversing  about  the  little 
Luisa — about  the  unfortunate  end  of  her  father  and  mother — 
both  of  whom,  we  believed,  had  fallen  victims  in  the  savage 
massacre.  We  were  talking  of  how  we  should  bring  her  up, — 
whether  in  ignorance  of  the  melancholy  fate  of  her  parents, 
and  in  the  belief  that  she  was  one  of  our  own  children, — 
or  whether,  when  she  had  grown  to  a  sufficient  age  to  under* 
stand  it,  we  should  reveal  to  her  all  the  story  of  her  orphan- 
age. 

Our  thoughts  now  reverted,  for  the  first  time,  to  our  own 
wretched  prospects,  for  these,  too,  had  been  blighted  by 
the  loss  of  our  Scotch  friend.  We  were  going  to  a  strange 
land, — a  land  where  we  knew  no  one ;  of  whose  language, 
even,  we  were  ignorant, — a  land,  too,  whose  inhabitants  were 
neither  prosperous  of  themselves,  nor  disposed  to  counte- 
nance prosperity  in  others — much  less  of  the  race  to  which 
we  belonged.  We  were  going,  too,  without  an  object ;  for 
that  which  had  brought  us  so  far  was  now  removed  by  the 
death  of  our  friend.  We  had  no  property,  no  money — not 
enough  even  to  get  us  shelter  for  a  single  night :  what  would 
become  of  us  ?  They  were  bitter  reflections  which  we  drew 
from  thinking  on  the  future ;  but  we  did  not  permit  them  to 
torture  us  long. 

"  '  Fear  not,  Robert,'  said  my  noble  wife,  placing  her 
little  hand  in  mine,  and  looking  cheerfully  in  my  face,  *  He 


102  THE    DK^^ERT    HOME. 

who  has  guarded  us  through  the  past  is  not  likely  to  fail  ua 
in  the  future.' 

"  *  Dear  Mary,'  I  replied,  roused  to  new  life  and  energy 
by  her  consoling  words,  '  you  are  right^you  are  right :  in 
Him  only  let  us  trust.' 

"  At  that  moment  a  strange  noise  sounded  in  our  ears, 
coming  from  the  direction  of  the  forest.  It  seemed  distant 
at  first,  but  every  moment  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  It  was 
like  the  voice  of  some  animal  '  routing  '  from  extreme  terror 
or  pain.  I  looked  around  for  the  ox.  The  horse  was  in  the 
glade,  bat  his  companion  was  not  to  be  seen.  Again  the 
voice  came  from  the  woods,  louder  and  more  fearful  than  ever. 
It  was  plainly  the  bellowing  of  an  ox,  but  what  could  it  mean  ? 

Once  more  it  rose  upon  the  air,  nearer  and  more  distinct, 
and  sounded  as  though  the  animal  was  running  as  it  cried. 

"  1  sprang  to  my  rifle, — Frank  and  Harry  also  seized 
theirs, — Cudjo  armed  himself  with  the  Indian  spear ;  and 
the  dogs,  that  had  started  to  their  feet,  stood  waiting  a  signal 
to  rush  forth. 

*'  Once  more  broke  out  that  terrible  cry ;  and  we  could 
i-.ow  hear  the  sweeping  of  leaves,  and  the  crackling  of 
branches,  as  if  some  huge  animal  was  tearing  its  way  through 
the  bushes.  The  birds  flew  up  from  the  thicket,  terrified 
and  screaming ;  the  horse  neighed  wildly  ;  the  dogs  sent  forth 
their  impatient  yelps,  and  our  children  shrieked  in  affright. 
Again  rose  the  deep  and  sonorous  roar,  filling  the  valley 
with  its  agonizing  tones.  The  cane  rattled  as  it  yielded  to 
the  crushing  hoof.  We  sav^r  the  leaves  of  the  thick  under- 
^vood  shaking  at  a  distance, — then  nearer, — then  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  glade, — and  the  next  moment  a  bright-red  object 
appeared  through  the  leaves,  and  dashed  out  into  the  open- 
ing. We  saw  at  a  glance  it  was  the  ox  ;  but  what  could  it 
mean  ?  Was  he  pursued  by  some  monster — some  beast  of 
prey  ?  No  ;  not  pursued,  but  already  overtaken.  Look ! 
see  what  the  ox  carries  on  his  shoulders  !  O  heavens  1  what 
a  sight  1 

"  We  were  all  for  a  while  as  if  thunderstruck.     Between 


THE    DKSKRT    I  If)  ME.  IO3 

the  oiioulders  of  the  ox,  and  clutching  him  around  tlae  neck, 
was  a  large  animal.  It  at  first  sight  appeared  to  be  a  mass 
of  brown,  shaggy  hair,  and  part  of  the  ox  himself — so  closely 
was  it  fastened  upon  him.  As  they  drew  nearer,  however, 
we  could  distinguish  the  spreading  claws,  and  short,  muscular 
hmbs  of  a  fearful  creature.  Its  head  was  down  near  the 
throat  of  the  ox,  which  we  could  see  was  torn,  and  dappled 
with  crimson  spots.  The  mouth  of  the  strange  animal  was 
resting  upon  his  jugular  vein.  It  was  tearing  his  flesh,  and 
drinking  his  blood  as  he  ran ! 

'•  The  ox,  as  he  came  out  of  the  thicket,  galloped  but 
slowly,  and  routed  with  less  energy  than  before.  We  could 
perceive  that  he  tottered  as  he  ran,  still  making  for  the  camp. 
In  a  short  time  he  was  in  our  midst,  when,  uttering  a  long 
moan,  he  fell  to  the  earth  with  the  death  rattle  in  his  throat. 

"  The  strange  animal,  roused  by  the  shock,  suddenly  let 
go  its  hold,  and  raised  itself  erect  over  the  carcass.  Now, 
for  the  first  time,  I  saw  what  it  was.  It  was  the  fearful 
carcajoti !  Now,  too,  for  the  first  time,  it  seemed  to  be 
aware  of  our  presence,  and  suddenly  placed  itself  in  an 
attitude  to  spring.  The  next  moment  it  had  launched  its 
body  towards  Mary  and  the  children  ! 

We  all  three  fired  as  it  sprang  forward ;  but  our  feelings 
had  unnerved  us,  and  the  bullets  whistled  idly  away.  I  drew 
my  knife  and  rushed  after ;  but  Cudjo  was  before  me,  and 
I  saw  the  blade  of  his  spear  glancing  towards  it  like  a  flash 
of  light,  and  burying  itself  in  the  long  hair.  With  a  hoarse 
growl  the  monster  turned,  and,  to  my  joy,  I  saw  that  it  was 
empaled  upon  the  spear,  which  had  passed  through  the  skin 
of  its  neck.  Instead  of  yielding,  however,  it  rushed  up  the 
shaft,  until  Cudjo  was  compelled  to  drop  the  weapon,  to 
save  himself  from  being  torn  by  its  long,  fierce  claws.  Before 
it  could  clear  itself  from  the  spear,  I  had  drawn  my  large 
pistol,  and  fired  directly  into  its  breast.  The  shot  proved 
mortal,  and  the  shaggy  monster  rolled  over,  and  struggled 
for  some  minutes  in  the  agonies  of  death.  We  were  saved ; 
but  our  poor  ox,  that  was  to  have  drawn  us  out  of  the  desert, 
lay  upon  the  grass,  a  lifeless  and  ahnost  bloodless  carcass  i^ 


A^4  THE    DEbLKl'    llUiMfi, 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A  FRUITLESS  SEARCH    FOR  A  TRAIL. 

"  Our  hopes  of  being  able  to  get  away  from  the  oasis  valley 
were  thus  crushed  in  a  moment.  The  horse  could  not  of 
himself  draw  the  wagon  ;  and  how  could  we  travel  without 
it  ?  Even  could  we  have  crossed  the  desert  on  foot,  he 
v'ould  hardly  suffice  to  carry  our  food  and  water.  But  for 
us  to  pass  one  of  those  terrible  stretches  of  wilderness — by 
tne  bpaniarcis  canea  •  jornaaas  — on  luoi,  was  one  of  th^ 
question.  Even  the  strongest  and  hardiest  of  the  trappers 
often  perish  in  such  attempts  ;  and  how  should  we  succeed  ? — 
one  of  us  being  a  delicate  female,  and  having  two  children 
ihat  must  be  carried  in  our  arms.  The  thing  was  plainly  im- 
possible ;  and  as  I  reflected  upon  it,  the  thoughts  of  its  im- 
possibility filled  me  with  despair. 

"  But  were  we  never  to  escape  from  that  lonely  spot  ? 
What  prospect  was  before  us  of  tver  being  able  to  leave  it  ? 
No  human  beings  might  come  to  our  relief.  Perhaps  no 
human  foot  except  our  own  had  ever  made  its  track  in  that 
remote  valley.  This  was  not  at  all  improbable  :  and,  indeed; 
a  party  of  hunters  or  Indians,  on  their  journey  across  tb.e 
desert,  might  visit  the  mountain  without  discovering  the 
valley — so  strangely  was  it  hollowed  out  of  the  plain. 

"  I  had  but  little  hope  that  any  caravan  or  party  of  traders 
would  pass  that  way.  The  desert  that  surrounded  us  was 
a  sufficient  barrier  against  that ;  besides,  I  knew  that  the 
mountain  was  far  to  the  southward  of  the  trails  usually 
followed  by  the  prairie  traders.  There  was  but  one  hope 
that  I  could  cling  to  with  any  degree  of  confidence — that 
was,  that  the  desert  might  not  stretch  so  far  to  the  south  or 
west  as  it  appeared  to  do  ;  and  by  breaking  up  the  wagon, 


THE    DESERT    HOME,  I05 

and  making  a  light  cart  out  of  it,  we  might  still  be  able  to 
cross  it.  I  was  determined,  therefore,  first  to  go  alone,  and 
epcplore  the  route  in  both  these  directions.  If  it  should  ap- 
pear practicable,  I  could  return,  and  put  this  design  into 
execution 

"  Next  morning,  having  loaded  my  horse  with  provisions, 
and  as  much  water  as  he  could  well  carry,  I  took  an  affec- 
tionate leave  of  my  wife  and  little  ones,  and,  commending 
them  to  the  protection  of  God,  I  mounted,  and  rode  off  to- 
wards the  west.  I  headed  in  this  direction  for  a  day  and  a 
half,  and  still  the  waste  stretched  to  the  horizon  before  me. 
I  had  made  but  a  short  journey,  for  the  path  led  through 
ridges  and  hillocks  of  moving  sand,  and  my  horse  sank  to 
the  knees  at  every  step.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day, 
I  turned  back  from  the  attempt,  fearful  that  I  should  not  be 
able  to  regain  the  valley.  But  I  succeeded  at  length — both 
myself  and  horse  almost  dead  with  thirst  on  arriving  there. 

"  I  found  my  little  party  all  well  as  I  had  left  them ;  but 
I  had  brought  them  no  glad  tidings,  and  I  sat  down  in  their 
midst  with  a  feeling  of  despair. 

"  My  next  feconnoissance  was  to  be  to  the  south,  and  I 
only  waited  until  my  jaded  horse  might  be  sufficiently  rested 
for  the  journey. 

"  Another  day  passed,  and  I  was  sitting  upon  a  log  near 
the  fire,  reflecting  upon  the  dark  future  that  lay  before  us. 
I  was  filled  with  despondency,  and  took  no  note  of  what 
was  passing  around.  When  I  had  sat  in  this  way  for  some 
time,  I  felt  a  light  hand  touching  me  upon  the  shoulder,  and^ 
looking  up,  I  saw  that  Mary  had  seated  herself  upon  the  log 
beside  me,  while  a  smile  of  cheerfulness  and  composure  was 
playing  upon  her  fair  features. 

"  I  saw  that  she  had  something  in  her  mind  that  she  was 
about  to  communicate  to  me. 

What  is  it,  Mary  ? '  I  asked. 

Is  not  this  a  lovely  spot  ? '  said  she,  waving  her  hand 
so  as  to  indicate  the  whole  scene  by  which  we  were  sur- 
jTOunded.     My  eyes,  along  with  hers,  roanied  for  a  moment 


((  < 


Io6  THE    DESERr    HOME. 

over  the  fair  picture  and  I  could  not  do  otherwise  th^n 
answer  in  the  affirmative.  It  was,  indeed,  a  lovely  spot. 
The  open  glade,  with  the  golden  sun  streaming  down  upon 
its  green  herbage  and  vivid  flowers  ;  the  varied  tints  of  the 
forest  frondage,  now  dressed  in  the  brilliant  livery  of  au- 
tumn ;  the  cliffs  beyond,  contrasting  with  it  in  color  from 
I  heir  lining  of  dark-green  cedars  and  pines  ;  and,  higher 
still,  the  snow-white  summit,  as  it  towered  against  the  blue 
sky,  sparkling  under  the  sun,  and  lending  a  delicious  cool- 
ness to  the  air, — all  these  objects  formed  a  panorama  that 
was,  indeed,  lovely  to  look  upon.  And  there  were  sweet 
sounds  falling  upon  the  ear — the  murmur  of  distant  waters, 
the  light  rustling  of  leaves,  stirred  by  a  soft  breeze  that 
blew  past  laden  with  the  aromatic  odors  of  buds  and  flowers  ; 
the  music  of  birds  that  sang  to  each  other  in  the  groves,  or 
uttered  their  joyous  calls  as  they  flapped  their  bright  wings 
over  the  open  glade. 

"'Yes,  Mary,'  I  replied;  'it  is,  indeed,  a  lovely  spot.' 

"'Then.  Robert,'  said  she,  with  a  look  of  strange  mean- 
ing, '  why  should  we  be  so  anxious  to  leave  it  ?  ' 

" '  Why  ? '  I  repeated  mechanically  after  her,  wondering 
at  the  question. 

"  '  Yes,  why  ?  '  continued  my  wife.  '  We  are  in  search 
of  a  home  ;  why  not  make  t/i/s  our  home  ?  Where  can  we 
find  a  better  ?  How  know  we  that  in  that  land  whither  we 
were  going,  we  may  find  one  so  good — if  indeed,  they  give 
us  a  home  at  all  ?  " 

" '  But,  dear  Mary,'  said  I,  '  how  could  you  live  away 
from  the  world — you  who  have  been  brought  up  in  the  midst 
of  society  and  its  refinements  ?  " 

"  '  The  world  ! '  replied  she ;  '  what  care  we  for  the 
world  ?  Have  we  not  our  children  with  us  ?  They  will  be 
our  world,  and  we  can  be  society  enough  for  each  other. 
Moreover,'  continued  she,  '  remember  how  little  we  have  in 
that  world  ;  remember  how  it  has  used  us  so  far.  Have  we 
been  happy  in  it?  No;  I  have  enjoyed  more  happiness 
here  than  1  evei  did  in  the  midst  of  that  society  of  which 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  I07 

you  speak.  Think,  Robert !  reflect  before  we  rashly  leave 
this  lovely  spot — this  sweet  home — into  which  I  can  almost 
believe  the  hand  of  God  has  guided  us." 

"  '  But,  Mary,  you  have  not  thought  of  the  difficulties,  the 
wardships,  to  which  such  a  life  may  expose  you.' 

"  I  have,'  she  replied.  '  I  have  thought  of  all  these  while 
you  were  absent.  I  can  see  no  difficulty  in  our  procuring  a 
subsistence  here.  The  Creator  has  bountifully  stocked  this 
singular  oasis.  We  may  easily  obtain  all  the  necessaries  of 
life — for  its  luxuries  I  care  but  little.  We  can  live  without 
them.' 

'•  Her  words  produced  a  strange  effect  upon  me.  Up  to 
that  moment,  the  idea  of  i-eviaining  in  the  oasis  had  never 
entered  my  mind.  I  had  only  occupied  myself  with  speculat- 
ing on  the  means  by  which  we  could  escape  from  it.  Now, 
however,  a  sudden  change  came  over  my  thoughts ;  and  I 
began  to  think  seriously  of  following  the  counsel  of  my  self- 
sacrificing  companion.  The  harsh  treatment  we  had  received 
at  the  hands  of  civilized  man  ;  buffeted  about  by  ill  fortune  ; 
continually  deceived,  and  at  every  step  becoming  poorer 
and  more  dependent, — all  had  their  effect  in  blunting  that 
desire  I  should  otherwise  have  felt  to  get  back  to  the  world. 
I  was  not  averse  then  to  the  idea,  but  rather  ready  to  fall  at 
once  into  the  plan. 

••  I  remained  silent  for  a  length  of  time,  casting  over  in 
my  mind  the  possibility  of  our  carrying  out  such  a  scheme — 
the  chances  of  our  being  able  to  procure  subsistence.  It 
was  .evident  there  was  plenty  of  game  in  the  valley.  We 
had  occasionally  seen  deer  of  different  species,  and  we  had 
also  discovered  the  tracks  of  other  animals.  There  were 
pheasants  and  turkeys,  too,  in  abundance.  We  had  our 
rifleSj^  and  by  good  fortune  a  large  stock  of  ammunition — 
for,  besides  my  own,  Harry  and  Frank  had  powder  horns, 
containing  nearly  a  pound  each.  But  this,  in  time,  would  be 
expended  ;  what  then  ?  O,  what  then  ?  Before  that,  I 
should  find  out  some  other  mode  of  capturing  our  game. 
Besides,  the  valley  might  contain  many  other  things  intended 


Io8  THE   DESERT    HOME, 

to  sustain  life — roots  and  fruits.  We  had  already  found 
some  indications  of  this  ;  and  Mary,  who  was  an  accomplished 
botanist,  could  tell  the  uses  of  them  all.  We  should  find 
both  food  and  water.  What  more  could  we  ask  from  the 
hand  of  nature  ? 

"  As  I  ran  these  thoughts  through  my  mind,  the  project 
became  every  moment  more  feasible.  In  fact,  I  grew  quite 
as  enthusiastic  about  it  as  my  wife. 

"  Cudjo,  Frank,  and  Harry  were  brought  into  our  council ; 
and  they,  too,  received  the  idea  with  delight.  The  faithful 
Cudjo  was  contented,  as  he  alleged,  with  any  lot,  so  long  as 
he  might  share  it  with  us.  As  for  the  boys,  they  were  in 
raptures  with  the  thought  of  such  a  free,  wild  life. 

"  We  did  not  fully  resolve  upon  any  thing  for  that  day. 
We  were  determined  not  to  act  rashly,  but  to  reflect  seriously 
upon  it,  and  to  renew  our  deliberations  on  the  following 
morning. 

"  During  that  night,  however,  a  circumstance  occurred, 
which  at  once  fixed  my  resolution  to  remain  in  the  valley — 
at  least,  until  some  unforeseen  chance  might  enable  us  to 
leave  it  with  a  better  prospect  of  safety." 


I 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  lOQ 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    MYSTERIOUS    FLOOD. 

«  Well,  my  friends,  I  shall  now  detail  to  you  the  strange 
incident  which  at  once  decided  me  to  adopt  the  suggestion 
of  my  wife,  and  make  our  home  in  the  valley.  Perhaps  we 
did  not,  at  the  time,  contemplate  staying  here  for  the  re- 
mainder of  our  lives,  but  only  for  a  few  years.  However, 
we  resolved  to  remain  for  the  present,  and  give  our  lonely 
life  a  fair  trial,  leaving  the  future  an  open  question. 

"  The  reason  why  I  had  hesitated  at  all  upon  the  subject 
was  this :  I  could  not  think  of  settling  down  with  no  pros- 
pect of  improving  our  condition  ;  for,  however  much  we 
might  exercise  our  industry,  its  products  could  not  enrich 
us  beyond  the  satisfying  of  our  own  wants.  '  We  should 
have  no  market,'  thought  I,  '  for  any  superfluous  produce, 
even  could  we  cultivate  the  whole  valley.'  We  could,  there- 
fore, become  no  richer,  and  would  never  be  in  any  fitter 
state  to  return  to  civilized  society ;  for,  in  spite  of  all,  a 
thought  of  this  still  remained  in  my  mind. 

*'  Mary,  who  was  of  a  far  more  contented  disposition 
than  I,  still  persisted  in  arguing  that,  as  our  happiness  did 
not  depend  upon  possessing  riches,  we  would  never  desire 
to  leave  that  lovely  spot,  and  that,  consequently,  we  should 
stand  in  no  need  of  wealth. 

"  Perhaps  hers  was  the  true  philosophy — at  all  events,  it 
was  the  natural  one.  But  the  artificial  wants  of  society  im- 
plant within  us  the  desire  of  accumulating  individual  prop- 
erty ;  and  I  could  not  rid  myself  of  this  provident  feeling. 
'  If  we  could  only  find  some  object,'  said  I,  '  upon  which  we 
might  be  exercising  our  industry,  so  that  our  time  should  not 
be  wasted^  and  by  which  we  might  prepare  ourselves  for  re- 


no  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

turning  to  society,  then  for  a  time  might  we  live  most  happily 
here.' 

"  '  Who  knows  ? '  said  Mary,  in  reply  to  this  ;  '  there  may 
be  objects  in  this  valley  that  may  occupy  us,  and  enable  us 
to  lay  up  the  very  store  }ou  speak  of,  as  well  as  if  we  were 
to  continue  on  to  New  Mexico.  What  opportunities  should 
we  have  there  better  than  here  ?  We  have  nothing  now  to 
begin  life  with  anywhere.  Here  we  have  food  and  land, 
which  I  think  we  may  fairly  call  our  own  ;  there  we  should 
have  neither.  Here  we  have  a  home ;  and  how  know  you, 
Robert,  that  w^e  may  not  yet  make  a  fortune  in  the  desert  ? ' 

''  We  both  laughed  at  the  idea  ;  which,  of  course,  Mary 
had  meant  only  as  a  jest,  in  order  to  render  our  prospects 
more  cheering. 

"  It  was  now  near  midnight,  for  we  had  sat  up  to  that  late 
hour  deliberating  on  what  we  should  do.  As  I  have  said, 
we  agreed  to  leave  the  matter  undecided  until  the  morrow. 
The  moon  was  just  appearing  over  the  eastern  cliff  ;  and  we 
were  about  rising  to  retire  to  our  resting-places,  when  our 
eyes  fell  upon  an  object  that  caused  us  all  at  the  same  time 
to  cry  out  with  astonishment. 

"  I  have  said,  that,  when  we  first  entered  this  valley,  there 
was  no  lake  here.  Where  you  now  see  one  was  a  green- 
sward, with  here  and  there  a  coppice  of  trees,  forming  part  of 
tlie  little  prairie  in  which  we  were  encamped.  The  stream 
I  an  across  it,  as  it  still  does  through  the  lake :  but  at 
this  point  there  were  scarcely  any  banks,  as  the  water  flowed 
over  a  wide  and  shallow  channel.  On  previous  nights,  when 
the  moon  was  shining  into  the  valley,  as  we  sat  around  our 
camp  fire,  we  had  noticed  the  stream  winding  like  a  silver 
thread  through  the  dark  green  herbage.  Now,  to  our  ex- 
treme wonder,  instead  of  the  narrow  line,  a  broad  sheet  of 
water  glistened  before  us.  It  seemed  to  cover  a  space  of 
several  hundred  yards  in  extent,  reaching  far  up  the  glade 
towards  our  camp.  Could  it  be  water,  or  was  it  only  the 
mirage — \\\^fata  morgana?  No;  it  was  not  the  latter.  We 
had  witnessed  this   before,  on  our  passage  across   the  great 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  Ill 

t>1«7ns.  We  had  witnessed  it  on  several  occasions,  and  it 
was  nothing  hke  what  we  now  saw.  There  is  a.  filmy, 
whitish  appearance  about  the  illusions  of  the  mi?'age,  by 
which  tlie  experienced  traveler  can  always  distinguish  it  from 
the  real.  Bat  there  was  nothing  of  that  in  the  present  in- 
stance. It  was  water  that  spread  before  us ;  for  the  moon, 
that  had  now  risen  above  the  cliff,  was  plainly  reflected  upon 
its  calm  and  glassy  surface.  Yes ;  it  could  be  nothing  but 
a  sheet  of  water. 

"  But  we  were  determined  not  to  trust  to  our  eyes  alone. 
We  all  ran  towards  it — Cudjo,  the  boys,  and  myself;  and  in 
a  few  seconds  we  stood  upon  its  edge — upon  the  edge  of 
what  appeared  to  be  a  large  lake,  formed  as  if  by  some 
magical  influence. 

"  We  had,  at  first,  regarded  the  phenomenon  only  with 
feelings  of  wonder;  but  our  wonder  was  now  changed  to 
consternation,  when  we  perceived  that  the  water  was  still 
rising.  It  ran  in  about  our  feet  while  we  stood,  rippling 
slowly  against  the  gentle  ascent,  like  the  influx  of  a  tide. 

" '  What  could  it  mean  ?  we  asked  of  each  other  with 
looks  that  betrayed  our  fears.  Was  it  a  flood — an  inunda- 
tion— a  sudden  swelling  of  the  stream  ?  This  it  plainly  was ; 
but  what  could  have  caused  it  ?  There  had  been  no  rain 
for  several  days  before,  and  no  great  heat  to  have  caused 
any  unusual  melting  of  the  snow  upon  the  mountain.  What, 
then,  could  be  the  origin  of  this  sudden  and  singular  freshet  ? 
What  could  it  mean  ? 

"  We  stood  for  some  time  silent,  with  hearts  beating  audi- 
bly— each  looking  at  the  others  for  an  answer  to  this  ques- 
tion. The  solution  seemed  to  strike  us  all  at  the  same  time, 
and  a  fearful  one  it  was.  Some  terrible  convulsion — the 
falling  of  the  precipice,  perhaps — had  dammed  the  canon 
below  ;  no  doubt,  had  blocked  up  the  great  fissure  by  which 
the  stream  found  its  way  from  the  valley.  If  such  were  the 
case,  then,  the  valley  would  soon  fill  with  water,  not  only  to 
cover  the  ground  occupied  by  our  camp,  but  the  topt  of  the 
highest  trees. 


112  '  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

"  You  will  easily  conceive  the  terror  with  which  this 
thought  was  calculated  to  inspire  us.  We  could  think  of  no 
other  cause  for  the  strange  inundation,  nor,  indeed,  did  we 
stay  longer  to  consider  of  any,  but  ran  back  to  the  camp, 
determined  to  escape  from  the  valley  as  soon  as  we  could. 
Cud  jo  caught  the  horse  ;  Mary  awoke  the  children,  and 
brought  them  out  of  the  wagon  ;  while  the  boys  and  I  busied 
ourselves  in  collecting  a  few  necessary  things,  that  we  might 
be  enabled  to  carry  along  with  us. 

"  Up  to  this  time  we  had  not  thought  of  the  difficulty — 
much  less  the  iinpossibility — of  escaping  from  the  valley.  To 
O'lr  horror,  that  now  became  clear  as  the  sun  at  noonday ; 
for  we  perceived  that  the  road  by  which  we  had  entered  the 
glade,  and  which  lay  along  the  stream,  was  completely 
covered,  and  the  rising  water  reached  far  beyond  it.  There 
was  no  other  path  by  which  we  could  get  out.  To  attempt 
cutting  one  through  the  thick,  tangled  woods,  would  be  the 
work  of  days ;  moreover,  we  remembered  that  we  had  crossed 
the  stream  on  the  way  to  our  camp,  and  that,  of  course, 
would  now  be  swollen  below,  so  that  to  recross  it  would  be 
impossible.  We  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  valley,  at  its  lower 
end,  was,  by  this  time,  filled  with  water,  and  our  retreat  in 
that  direction  completely  cut  off.      We  knenf  of  no  other  path  ! 

"  I  cannot  describe  the  state  of  mind  into  which  we  were 
thrown  when  these  facts  became  evident  to  one  and  all 
of  us.  We  were  about  to  start  out  from  the  camp,  each  of  us 
carrying  our  burden ;  but  it  was  plainly  of  no  use  making 
the  attempt,  and  we  let  fall  the  various  utensils  with  a  feeling 
of  despair.  The  water  was  still  rising — the  lake  was  grow- 
ing larger  / 

"  The  wolves  howled,  driven  from  their  lair  by  the  en- 
croaching element  ;  birds,  roused  from  their  sleep,  screamed 
and  fluttered  among  the  trees ;  our  dogb  barked  at  the  strange 
sight ;  and,  in  the  clear  moonlight,  we  could  see  deer,  and 
other  wild  animals,  rushing,  as  if  terrified,  through  the  open 
glade.  O  God  !  were  we  to  be  ingulfed,  and  perish  in  this 
mysterious  flood  I 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  1 13 

"  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Should  we  climb  into  the  tK  ts  ? 
That  would  not  save  us.  If  the  great  channel  was  blocked 
up  below,  I  knew  that  //la/  would  not  save  us  ;  for  its  jaws 
were  higher  then  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees,  and  the  rising 
flood  would  soon  lick  us  from  the  branches.  It  might  pro- 
long our  lives,  and  with  them  our  despair  ;  but  what — '  Ha  ! ' 
The  thought,  Heaven-directed,  at  this  moment  entered  my 
mind. 

"  '  ^  ra/f/  a  raft !     We  shall  yet  be  saved  f^ 

"  My  companions  at  once  understood  my  meaning.  Cud- 
jo  seized  the  ax,  while  Mary  hastened  to  the  wagon  to  col- 
lect such  ropes  and  cords  as  were  in  it.  I  knew  there  would 
not  be  enough  of  these  for  our  purpose  ;  and,  spreading  out 
the  great  elk  skin,  I  proceeded  to  cut  it  into  strips. 

"  There  were  several  logs  lying  close  to  our  camp.  They 
were  the  trunks  of  tall,  straight  trees,  that  from  time  to  time 
had  fallen,  and  were  now  quite  dead  and  dry.  They  were  the 
trunks  of  the  beautiful  Hriode?id?'on,  or  tulip  tree,  out  of  which 
the  Indians  always  make  their  canoes,  when  they  can  get  them 
of  sufficient  size.  This,  because  their  wood  is  extremely  soft 
and  light — weighing  only  twenty-six  pounds  to  the  cubic 
foot.  While  busy  myself,  I  directed  Cudjo  to  cut  a  number 
of  these  logs  into  equal  lengths.  Cudjo  knew  how  to  handle 
an  ax  with  any  other  man,  and  the  logs  were  soon  of  the 
proper  dimensions.  We  now  rolled  them  together,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  our  ropes  and  cross  pieces,  lashed  them  firmly  to 
one  another,  and  our  raft  was  completed.  Upon  this  we 
placed  our  great  chest,  containing  the  jerked  meat,  with  our 
blankets,  and  such  utensils  as  were  necessary  to  be  saved. 
We  laid  in  no  stock  of  water  for  the  expected  voyage  ;  we  had 
no  fear  about  our  having  enough  of  that. 

"  We  had  been  occupied  nearly  two  hours  in  constructing 
the  raft ;  but  during  all  this  time  we  had  been  so  busy,  that 
we  had  hardly  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  flood,  only  to 
see  that  it  still  continued  to  rise.  As  soon  as  our  arrange- 
ments were  completed,  I  ran  down  to  the  water's  edge. 
After  watching  it  for  a  few  minutes,  to  my  great  joy  I  per- 


114  "^^^    DKSKI^T    IIO.MK. 

ceived  that  the  flood  wws  at  a  staiid  I  I  shouted  the  glad 
news  to  my  companions,  who,  on  hearing  it,  hastened  to  join 
me,  and  assure  themselves  by  actual  observation.  For  half 
an  hour,  we  all  stood  upon  the  shore  of  the  new-formed  lake, 
until  we  became  convinced  that  its  waters  were  rising  no 
higher.  We  saw,  too,  that  they  did  not  subside,  but  re- 
mained stationary.  '  It  has  reached  the  top  of  whatever  has 
dammed  it,'  thought  we,  '  and  is  now  flowing  over.' 

"  'What  a  pity,  Massa  Roff,'  said  Cudjo,  as  we  wended 
our  way  back  to  the  camp — what  a  pity  we  make  dat  fine 
raff  for  nuffin  !  " 

"  '  Ah,  Cudjo,'  rejoined  my  wife,  *  we  should  never  regret 
having  performed  that  which  is  a  work  of  precaution  ;  and 
we  must  remember  that  the  raft — although  it  may  not  be  re- 
quired as  we  intended  it — has  already  far  more  than  repaid 
us  for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it.  Remember  the  misery 
we  were  suffering  but  a  short  time  since  and  from  which  the 
idea  of  this  raft  at  once  relieved  us.  Measures  of  precau 
tion,  however  irksome,  should  always  be  adopted.  It  is  only 
the  slothful  and  vacillating  who  either  neglect  or  regret 
them.' 

"  '  Dat's  true,  Missa — dat's  berry  true,'  said  Cudjo,  in  a 
serious  tone,  for  he  well  knew  how  to  appreciate  the  teach- 
ings of  his  noble  mistress. 

"  It  was  now  very  late,  or  rather  \'ery  early,  and  Mary, 
with  the  children,  returned  to  their  usual  resting-place  in  the 
wagon.  Cudjo  and  I,  fearing  to  trust  to  the  capricious  water, 
determined — lest  it  might  take  another  turn,  and  '  catch  us 
napping  ' — to  keep  watch  on  it  till  the  morning. ' 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  11$ 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    BEAVERS    AND    WOLVERENE. 

''  When  daylight  came,  the  mysterious  flood  was  still  stand- 
.'vi<;  at  its  full  height.  I  call  it  mysterious,  for  as  yet  we  knew 
nothing  of  what  had  so  suddenly  created  it.  We  could  think 
of  no  other  cause  than  the  falling  in  of  the  precipice  below, 
I  had  determined,  as  soon  as  the  day  fairly  broke,  to  make 
my  way  through  the  woods,  and  remove  all  doubt — for  we 
still  felt  some  uneasiness  in  regard  to  this  strange  phenom- 
enon. 

"  Leaving  Cud  jo  with  his  long  spear,  and  the  boys  with 
their  rifles,  to  guard  the  camp,  I  set  forth  alone.  I  took  with 
me  my  gun,  as  well  as  a  small  hatchet  which  we  had,  to  clear 
away  a  track  through  the  brushwood. 

"  I  struck  at  once  into  the  woods,  and  guiding  myself  by 
an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  sun,  that  had  now  risen,  I  kept 
on  in  a  south-easterly  course.  It  was  my  intention  to  get 
out  on  the  edge  of  the  flood  some  distance  below,  when  I 
could  then  skirt  around  it.  After  cutting  my  way  through 
the  brambles  to  the  distance  of  nearly  a  mile,  I  came  sud- 
denly out  upon  the  bank  of  the  rivulet ;  and  guess  my  sur- 
prise, on  seeing  that  the  stream  was  not  only  not  swollen, 
but  there  was  even  less  water  than  usual  running  in  its  chan- 
nel !  I  noticed,  however,  that  the  water  was  muddy,  and 
that  green  leaves  and  fresh  broken  twigs  were  floating  down 
upon  its  current. 

"  Of  course,  I  now  turned  my  face  up  stream  knowing  that 
the  dam  must  be  in  that  direction  ;  but,  for  my  life,  I  could 
not  imagine  how  any  accident  of  nature  could  have  stopped 
up  the  channel  above.  The  falling  of  trees  could  not  pos- 
sibly have  produced  such  an  effect ;  and  there  were  no  high 


no  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

bluffs  abutting  on  the  rivulet  that  could  have  fallen  into  its 
bed.  I  began  to  believe  that  human  hands  had  been  at 
work ;  and  I  looked  for  the  prints  of  human  *^^et.  1  saw 
none,  but  the  tracks  of  animals  were  numerous.  Thousands 
of  them,  at  least, — great,  broad  feet,  webbed  like  th)se  of  a 
duck,  but  with  sharp  claws, — were  impressed  in  the  sajd 
and  mud,  all  along  the  banks  of  the  stream. 

"  I  moved  forward  very  cautiously  ;  for,  although  I  could 
not  discover  their  tracks,  I  was  still  fearful  that  Indians, 
and  of  course  enemies,  were  near.  At  length  I  reached  a 
bend  in  the  stream,  above  which  I  remembered  that  the  chan- 
nel was  narrower,  and  ran  between  banks  of  a  considerable 
height.  I  remembered  this  well,  for,  on  first  entering  the 
valley  we  had  been  obliged  at  this  place  to  draw  the  wagon 
out  of  the  bed  of  the  rivulet,  and  cut  a  way  for  it  through 
the  adjacent  woods.  No  doubt,  then,  I  -would  there  find  the 
obstacle  that  had  so  mysteriously  intercepted  the  current. 

"  On  reaching  this  bend,  I  climbed  out  upon  the  bank ; 
and,  stealing  silently  through  the  underwood,  I  peeped 
through  the  leaves.     A  most  singular  scene  was  before  me. 

"  The  stream,  as  I  had  rightly  conjectured,  was  dammed 
up  at  the  point  where  the  channel  was  narrowest,  but  not 
by  any  accident.  The  work  bore  the  marks  of  design,  as 
much  as  if  it  had  been  constructed  by  human  hands.  A 
tall  tree  had  been  felled  across  the  stream — so  that  the  place 
where  it  had  been  cut  through  was  not  detached  from  the 
stump,  but  still  held  fast  by  its  crushed  fibers.  On  the 
other  side,  its  top  branches  were  buried  under  rocks  and 
mud,  so  as  to  render  them  secure.  Against  this  tree  upright 
stakes  rested ;  and  these  again  w^ere  wattled  together,  and 
firmly  bedded  in  rocks  that  had  been  collected  around  theii 
lower  ends.  Behind  these  uprights  were  piled  other  stakes 
and  branches,  laid  crosswise,  and  bound  together  with  layers 
of  rocks  and  mud — so  that  the  whole  structure  formed  a 
wall  of  full  six  feet  in  thickness,  broad  along  the  top,  and  slop- 
ing off  toward  the  water.  On  the  lower  side  it  stood 
oearly  perpendicular,   as  the  uprights  were  thus  set     Tb^ 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  II7 

top  of  this  was  plastered  with  mud,  and  at  both  sides  was 
left  a  narrow  sluice,  or  wash,  through  which  the  water  ran 
smoothly  off,  without  wearing  away  the  breastwork. 

"  I  have  said  that  the  work  bore  the  marks  of  design,  as 
much  as  if  it  had  been  constructed  by  human  hands.  But 
it  was  not.  The  builders  of  that  breastwork  were  before  my 
eyes,  and  apparently  just  resting  from  their  labors. 

"  There  were  about  a  hundred  of  them  in  all,  squatting 
over  the  ground  and  along  the  parapet  of  the  new-made  dam. 
They  were  of  a  dark  brown,— or,  rather,  a  chestnut  color, — ■ 
and  reminded  me  of  so  many  gigantic  rats,  except  that  their 
tails  were  not  elongated  and  tapering  like  these.  Their 
backs,  however,  were  arched,  and  their  bodies  of  a  thick, 
rounded  shape,  similar  to  animals  of  the  rat  kind.  Moreover, 
I  could  perceive  that  they  were  armed  with  the  cutting  teeth 
which  distinguish  the  family  of  the  rodentia,  ox  'gnawers.' 
These  teeth  I  could  see  distinctly,  as  some  of  the  animals 
were  using  them  at  the  time,  and  they  even  protruded  when 
their  mouths  were  shut.  I  noticed  that  there  was  a  pair  of 
them  in  each  jaw,  broad,  strong,  and  shaped  like  chisels. 
The  ears  of  the  animals  were  short  and  almost  buried  in  the 
hair,  which,  although  long,  was  not  shaggy,  but  presented  a 
smooth  appearance  over  all  parts  of  their  bodies.  There 
was  a  tuft  of  stiff  bristles  growing  out  on  each  side  of  the 
nose,  like  the  whiskers  of  a  cat ;  and  their  eyes  were  small, 
and  set  high  up,  like  those  of  the  otter.  Their  fore  limbs 
were  shorter  than  the  hind  ones,  and  both  had  feet  with 
five  claws  ;  but  the  hind  feet  were  broad  and  large,  and 
completely  webbed  between  the  toes.  It  was  they,  then, 
that  had  made  the  tracks  I  had  observed  in  coming  up  the 
stream.  But  the  most  striking  feature  of  these  animals  was 
the  tail.  This  appendage  was  entirely  without  hair,  of  a 
dark  color,  and  looking  as  though  it  was  covered  with  the 
well-known  substance — shagreen.  It  was  about  a  foot  in 
length,  several  inches  broad  and  thick,  and  not  at  all  unlike 
a  cricket  bat — except  that  it  appeared  heavier  and  more 
oval-shaped  at  the  end.     The  animals  were  somewhat  larger 


Il8  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

than  otters;  not  so  long,  but  much  thicker  and  heavier  in 
the  body. 

"  I  had  never  seen  sucli  creatures  before,  but  I  knew  at 
once  what  they  were ;  for  altiiough  I  had  neglected  my 
other  studies,  natural  history  had  always  been  my  favorite, 
and  I  had  made  some  progress  in  that.  I  knew,  then, 
that  the  strange  beings  before  me  were  beave?'s — the  castor 
fiber  of  the   naturalists. 

"  The  whole  mystery  was  now  explained.  A  colony  c\ 
beavers  had  migrated  into  the  valley,  and  constructed  theii 
dam  ;  and  this  it  was  which  had  caused  the  sudden  inunda- 
tion. 

"  I  remained  for  some  time,  after  I  had  made  the  dis- 
covery, watching  these  creatures  and  their  interesting  move- 
ments. The  breastwork  appeared  to  l)e  quite  finished  ;  but 
this  did  not  follow  from  the  fact  that  the  animals  were  no 
longer  at  work  upon  it,  as  it  is  only  by  night  they  perforni 
such  labor.  In  fact,  they  are  rarely  seen,  except  by  night,  in 
countries  where  they  have  been  disturbed  or  hunted  ;  but 
here  they  were  evidently  unaccustomed  to  man.  They  ap- 
peared to  be  resting  after  their  night's  work.  It  is  not  likely 
that  they  had  built  the  whole  breastwork  during  that  one 
night,  but  had  only  put  on  the  finishing  part  which  had  pro- 
duced the  sudden  flood.  As  the  glade  above  where  they 
had  dammed  the  rivulet  was  nearly  level,  a  very  small  stop- 
page in  the  stream  sufficed  to  inundate  a  large  extent  of 
ground,  as  it  had  actually  done 

"  Some  of  the  beavers  were  sitting  upon  the  newly-raised 
work,  gnawing  the  leaves  and  twigs  that  stuck  out  from  the 
mud ;  others  were  washing  themselves,  disporting  playfull:^' 
through  the  water ;  while  others  squatted  upon  logs  that  V\y^ 
along  the  edge  of  the  dam,  every  now  and  again  flapping 
their  heavy  tails  upon  the  water,  like  so  many  laundresses 
beating  out  their  wet  linen. 

"  It  was  a  curious  and  comical  sight ;  and,  after  having 
enjoyed  it  for  some  time,  I  was  about  stepping  forward  to 
witness  what  effect  my  presence  would  produce,  when,  all  at 


lit  I'.     I»L>KI<  1     ild'.tiv.  I  I  ;; 

r»nce,  I  perceived  that  some  other  object  had  created  a  sud- 
den commotion  among  the  animals.  One  of  them,  who  had 
been  stationed  upon  a  log  at  some  distance  up  the  lake,  and 
apparently  acting  as  a  sentry,  now  ran  out  upon  the  log,  and 
struck  the  w^ater  three  quick,  heavy  flaps  with  his  tail.  This 
was  evidently  a  signal ;  for  the  moment  he  had  given  it,  the 
animal,  as  if  pursued,  pitched  himself  headforemost  into 
the  lake,  and  disappeared.  The  rest  started  as  soon  as  they 
heard  it ;  and  looking  around  for  a  moment,  as  if  in  affright, 
they  all  ran  to  the  bank,  and  plunged  simultaneously  under 
the  water,  each  of  them  striking  a  blow^  with  his  tail  as  he 
went  under. 

•*  I  now  looked  for  the  cause  of  this  sudden  movement. 
All  at  once  I  perceived,  coming  around  the  lake  where  the 
sentry  beaver  had  disappeared,  a  strange-looking  animal. 
It  moved  slowly  and  silently,  skulking  among  the  trees,  and 
keeping  close  in  to  the  water's  edge.  I  saw  that  it  was  mak- 
ing for  the  new-built  dam,  and  I  remained  where  I  was  to 
watch  it.  At  length  it  reached  the  breastwork,  and  crawled 
cautiously  along  it,  keeping  behind  the  parapet,  so  as  not  to 
be  seen  from  the  lake  above. 

"  I  had  now  a  good  view  of  it,  and  a  vicious-looking  crea- 
ture it  \v^s.  It  was  not  much  larger  than  one  of  the  beavers 
themselves,  and  in  some  points  not  unlike  them,  but  m  othet 
respects  the  difference  was  marked.  It  was  of  a  ver}'  dif- 
ferent color — being  nearly  black  upon  the  back  and  belly. 
while  a  light-brown  stripe  traversed  both  its  sides,  meeting 
over  its  rump.  Its  nose  and  feet  were  completely  black, 
while  its  breast  and  throat  were  white,  and  a  whitish  ring 
w^as  around  each  of  the  eyes.  It  had  small  ears,  with  stiff 
bristles  at  the  nose,  and  a  short  and  bushy  tail.  The  hair 
over  its  whole  body  was  long  and  shaggy-  Its  legs  were 
thick  and  muscular,  and  so  short,  that,  when  it  moved,  its 
belly  seemed  to  trail  along  the  ground.  It  appeared  rather 
to  crawl  than  to  walk.  But  this  arose  from  the  fact  of  its 
being  an  an-mal  of  the  plantigrade  family,  and  using  its  feet 
to  walk  upon    which,  in  many  other  animals,  such  as  the 


I20  TilE    DESERI'    HOME. 

horse,  appear  to  form  part  of  the  legs.  With  the  animal  in 
question,  the  feet  were  long,  black,  and  armed  with  white, 
curving  claws.  Its  whole  appearance  was  that  of  a  carnivo- 
rous creature — in  other  words,  it  was  a  beast  of  prey.  It 
was  the  wolverene^  the  dreaded  enemy  of  the  beaver. 

"  On  arriving  out  near  the  middle  of  the  breastwork,  it 
stopped,  and,  planting  its  forefeet  up  against  the  parapet, 
raised  its  head  slowly,  and  looked  over  into  the  lake. 

*'  Although  the  beaver  is  an  amphibious  animal,  and  spends 
full  half  of  his  time  in  the  water,  he  cannot  remain  long, 
without  coming  to  the  surface  to  take  breath ;  and  already 
the  heads  of  several  were  seen  at  different  points  in  the  lake. 
Others,  again,  had  boldly  climbed  out  on  the  little  islets 
which  here  and  there  appeared  above  watei,  and  where  they 
knew  that  the  wolverene,  who  is  not  a  good  swimmer,  could  not 
reach  them.  None  of  them,  hovv-cvcr,  showed  any  si^nis  of 
returning  to  the  breastwork. 

"  The  wolverene  seemed  also  to  have  arrived  at  this  con- 
clusion ;  for  now — apparently  careless  of  being  seen  from 
the  lake — he  looked  around  him  on  all  sides  and  above,  as 
if  he  either  intended  giving  up  the  pursuit  of  his  prey,  or 
adopting  some  more  effective  measure  to  secure  it.  At  length 
he  appeared  to  have  formed  some  resolution,  and  leaping 
boldly  up  on  the  parapet,  so  as  to  be  seen  by  the  beavers,  he 
walked  back  again  along  the  water's  edge  whence  he  had 
come.  On  getting  a  good  distance  from  the  breastwork,  he 
stopped  for  a  moment,  and  then,  turning  away  from  the  lake, 
ran  off  into  the  woods. 

"  I  was  curious  to  see  whether  the  beavers  would  now  re- 
turn to  the  breastwork,  and  I  resolved  to  remain  a  while 
longer  without  showing  myself.  I  waited  about  five  minutes, 
or  more,  at  the  end  of  which  time  I  saw  several  of  them, 
who  had  gone  to  the  most  distant  islets,  plunge  into  the 
water,  and  come  swimming  towards  me.  As  I  was  watching 
them,  all  at  once  I  heard  a  rustling  among  the  fallen  leaver 
near  the  dam,  and  on  looking,  I  perceived  the  wolvtrene 
making  all  the  haste  he  could  towards  the  breastwork.     On 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  121 

reaching  it,  however,  instead  of  running  out  behind  the 
parapet  as  before,  I  saw  him  plant  his  long  claws  against  a 
tree,  and  commence  climbing  upward,  keeping  on  that  side 
farthest  from  the  lake.  The  branches  of  this  tree  stretched 
horizontally  out,  and  directly  over  the  breastwork.  In  a 
short  time,  the  wolverene  had  reached  the  fork  of  one  of 
these ;  and,  crawling  out  upon  it,  he  laid  himself  flat  along 
the  branch  and  looked  downward. 

"  He  had  scarcely  settled  himself  on  his  perch,  when  halt 
a  dozen  beavers — thinking,  from  what  they  had  seen,  that  he 
must  have  gone  clear  off — climbed  out  upon  the  breastwork, 
flapping  their  great  tails  as  they  came.  They  were  soon 
under  the  very  branch,  and  I  saw  the  wolverene  with  his 
legs  erected  and  ears  set  for  the  spring.  This  was  my 
time ;  and,  glancing  up  the  barrel  of  my  rifle,  I  aimed  directly 
for  his  heart.  At  the  crack,  the  astonished  beavers  leaped 
back  into  the  water,  while  the  wolverene  dropped  from  his 
perch — a  little  sooner,  perhaps,  than  he  had  intended — and 
rolled  over  the  ground,  evidently  wounded,  I  ran  up  and 
struck  at  him  with  the  butt-end  of  my  gun,  intending  to  finish 
him ;  but,  to  my  astonishment,  the  fierce  brute  seized  the 
stock  in  his  teeth,  and  almost  tore  it  to  pieces  1  For  some 
time  I  hammered  him  with  huge  stones — he,  all  the  while, 
endeavoring  to  lay  hold  of  me  with  his  long,  curved  claws ; 
and  it  was  not  until  I  got  a  down  blow  at  his  head  with  my 
ax  that  the  fight  was  ended.  A  fearful-looking  monster  he 
was,  as  he  lay  stretched  before  me,  and  not  unlike  the  carca- 
jou which  had  killed  our  ox  at  the  camp,  only  smaller.  I 
did  not  attempt  to  take  his  carcass  with  me,  as  it  was  a  use- 
less burden.  Moreover,  from  the  fetid  smell  which  he 
emitted,  I  was  glad  to  part  company  as  soon  as  I  had  killed 
him  ;  and,  leaving  him  where  he  lay,  I  took  the  shortest 
road  back  to  the  camp." 


^33  Ttii::  i;L6ERi'  aoMJk 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 

HOW   TO    BUILD    A    LOG    CABIN. 

"  I  NEED  not  describe  the  joy  of  my  wife  and  the  rest  when 
I  returned  and  related  to  them  what  I  had  seen,  as  well  as 
my  adventure  with  the  wolverene.  The  discovery  that  our 
new-made  lake  was  nothing  else  than  a  great  beaver  dam  at 
once  decided  the  question  as  to  our  remaining  in  the  valley. 
Here  was  a  source  of  wealth  to  me,  far  greater  than  would 
have  been  any  situation  in  the  mines  of  Mexico — in  fact, 
better  than  a  mine  itself.  The  skin  of  every  beaver  in  that 
dam  I  knew  to  be  worth  a  guinea  and  a  half.  I  saw  there 
were  at  least  a  hundred  of  them — there  might  be  many  more, 
and  how  soon  would  these  multiply  into  thousands,  produc- 
ing annually  four  or  five  young  to  every  pair  of  them  !  We 
could  tend  them,  taking  care  to  provide  them  with  food,  and 
destroy  the  wolverenes,  and  any  other  of  their  enemies  that 
might  exist  in  the  valley.  They  would  thus  increase  the 
faster  ;  and  we  could  easily  prevent  them  from  becoming  too 
numerous,  by  trapping  the  older  ones,  and  carefully  preserv- 
ing their  skins.  After  several  years  thus  employed,  we  could 
return  to  civilized  life,  carrying  with  us  enough  of  their  valu- 
able fur  to  sell  for  a  smart  fortune. 

"  The  prospect  of  staying  where  we  were  was  now  de- 
lightful ;  the  more  so,  as  I  was  satisfied  it  was  the  best  thing 
1  could  do.  Even  had  I  been  able  to  procure  a  pair  of  fresh 
oxen  at  that  moment,  I  should  not  have  moved  a  step  far- 
ther. What  Mary  had  said  in  jest  was  now  likely  to  be 
realized  in  earnest —  We  might  yet  make  our  fortune  in  the 
desert. 

"  Of  course,  it  was  a  settled  ]')oint — we  resolved  to  re- 
r«iaia. 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  1 23 

"The  first  thing  to  be  done,  then,  was  to  provide  oui=- 
selves  with  a  house.  It  would  be  a  '  log  cabin,'  of  course  ; 
and  putting  up  a  log  cabin  was  a  mere  bagatelle  to  Cudjo. 
During  our  residence  in  Virginia,  he  had  built  two  or  three 
on  my  farm ;  and  no  man  knew  better  than  he  how  to  do 
the  thing.  No  man  knew  better  than  he  how  to  shape  the 
logs,  notch  them,  and  lay  them  firmly  in  their  beds  ;  no  man 
knew  better  how  to  split  the  clapboards,  lay  them  on  the 
rafters,  and  bind  them  fast,  without  even  a  single  nail ;  no 
man  knew  how  to  '  chink  '  the  walls,  clay  the  chimney,  and 
hang  the  door  of  a  log  cabin,  better  than  Cudjo.  No  ;  1 
will  answer  for  that.  Cudjo  could  construct  a  log  cabin  as 
well  as  the  most  renowned  architect  in  the  world. 

"  There  was  plenty  of  the  right  kind  of  timber  at  hand — 
plenty  of  tulip  trees,  with  their  tall,  straight  trunks,  rising  to 
the  height  of  fifty  feet  without  a  branch  ;  and  for  the  next 
two  days  the  ax  of  Cudjo  could  be  heard  with  its  constant 
'  check,  check,'  while  every  now  and  then  the  crash  of  a  fall 
ing  tree  woke  the  echoes  of  the  valley.  While  Cudjo  was 
felling  the  timber  and  cutting  it  into  logs  of  a  proper  length, 
none  of  the  rest  of  us  were  idle.  In  cooking  our  meals, 
scouring  the  vessels,  and  looking  after  the  children,  Mary 
found  sufficient  employment;  while  Frank,  Harry,  and  I, 
with  the  help  of  our  horse  Pompo,  were  able  to  drag  the  logs 
forward  to  the  spot  where  we  had  designed  to  put  up  the  cabin. 

"  On  the  third  day,  Cudjo  notched  the  logs,  and  on  the 
fourth  we  raised  the  walls  up  to  the  square.  On  the  fifth,  we 
set  up  the  gables  and  rafters,  which,  you  know,  is  done  by 
shortening  the  gable  logs  successively,  as  you  go  upward, 
and  tying  each  pair  of  them  by  a  pair  of  rafters  notched  into 
them,  at  the  ends,  precisely  as  the  wall  logs  below.  A  ridge 
pole  completed  the  frame,  and  that  was  laid  by  the  evening 
of  the  fifth  day. 

"  Upon  the  sixth  day,  Cudjo  went  to  work  upon  a  large  oak 
which  he  had  felled  and  cut  into  lengths  of  about  four  iee* 
each,  at  the  beginning  of  our  operations.  It  was  now  some- 
what dry,  so  as  to  split  easily  and,  with  his  ax  and  a  set  of 


124  'i'HE   DESERT   HOME. 

wedges,  he  attacked  it.  By  sunset,  he  had  a  pile  of  clap- 
boards beside  him  as  large  as  a  wagon — quite  enough  to 
shingle  the  roof  of  otir  house.  During  that  day,  I  employed 
myself  in  tempering  the  clay  for  chinking  the  walls  and 
plastering  the  chimney. 

"  On  the  seventh  day,  we  all  rested  from  our  labor.  We 
did  so  because  it  was  Sunday.  We  had  resolved  ever  to 
keep  the  Sabbath.  Though  the  eyes  of  men  could  not  see  us, 
— which  I  fear  is  too  often  the  reason  for  observing  the  sacred 
day, — we  knew  that  the  eye  of  God  was  upon  us,  even  in 
that  remote  valley. 

"  We  rose  as  early  as  usual,  and,  after  eating  our  break- 
fast, the  Bible  was  brought  forth,  and  we  offered — the 
only  sacrifice  to  Him  acceptable — the  sacrifice  of  our  hum- 
ble prayers.  Mary  had  been  busy  during  the  week,  and  our 
little  ones  were  dressed  out  as  if  for  a  holiday.  Taking 
them  along  with  us,  we  all  walked  down  to  the  lake,  and 
some  distance  around  its  edge.  We  saw  that  the  beavers 
had  been  as  busy  in  building  as  we;  and  already  their 
cone-shaped  dwellings  appeared  above  the  water — some  of 
them  near  the  shore,  and  others  upon  the  little  islets.  There 
was  only  one  which  we  could  reach,  and  this  we  examined 
with  great  curiosity.  It  stood  only  a  few  yards  from  the  shore, 
but  at  a  space  where  the  water  was  deep  on  its  front  side. 
It  was  nearly  cone  shaped,  or,  rather,  the  form  of  a  beehive, 
and  was  constructed  out  of  stones,  sticks  and  mud  mixed 
with  grass.  Part  of  it  was  under  water,  but,  although  we  could 
not  look  into  the  interior,  we  knew  that  there  was  an  upper 
story  above  water  mark,  for  we  saw  the  ends  of  the  joists 
that  supported  the  second  floor.  The  entrance  was  towards 
the  center  of  the  lake,  and  under  the  water — so  that,  in  going 
out  of  and  into  the  house,  the  beaver  is  always  under  the 
necessity  of  making  a  dive.  But  he  does  not  mind  that,  as 
it  seems  to  be  rather  a  pleasure  to  him  than  an  inconvenience. 
There  was  no  entrance  towards  the  land,  as  we  had  often 
heard.  Indeed,  it  would  be  bad  policy  in  the  beaver  thus 
to  make  a  door  by  which  his  enemy,  the  wolverene,  could 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  1 25 

easily  get  in  and  destroy  him.  The  houses  were  all  plastered 
over  with  mud,  which  by  the  flapping  of  the  tails,  and  the 
constant  paddling  of  the  broad,  web  feet,  had  become  as 
smooth  as  if  the  mud  had  been  laid  on  with  a  trowel.  We 
knew  that  they  were  also  plastered  inside,  so  as  to  render 
them  warm  and  commodious  in  winter. 

"  Some  of  these  dwellings  were  not  regular  cones,  but 
rather  of  an  oval  shape ;  and  sometimes  two  were  placed, 
as  it  were,  "  under  one  roof,"  so  as  to  steady  them  in  the 
water,  and  save  labor  in  the  building.  They  were  all  pretty 
large — many  of  them  rising  the  height  of  a  man  above  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  and  with  broad  tops,  where  the  beavers 
delighted  to  sit  and  sun  themselves.  Each  house  was  built 
by  its  own  inhabitants,  and  each  of  them  was  inhabited  by 
a  single  pair  of  beavers, — man  and  wife, — and  in  some  in- 
stances, where  there  .were  families,  by  four  or  five.  Some 
of  them,  who  had  finished  their  houses  earlier  than  the  rest, 
had  already  commenced  gathering  their  provisions  for  the 
winter.  These  consisted  of  the  leaves  and  soft  twigs  of 
several  species  of  trees, — such  as  willow,  birch,  and  mul- 
berry,— and  we  saw  collections  of  these  floating  in  the  water 
in  front  of  several  of  the  houses. 

"  It  was  late  in  the  season  for  beavers  to  be  constructing 
a  new  dam.  It  is  generally  in  spring  when  they  perform 
that  labor ;  but  it  was  evident  that  the  present  colony  had 
just  arrived — no  doubt  driven  by  trappers  or  Indians,  or 
perhaps  drought — from  their  last  settlement,  hundreds  of 
miles  away.  We  conjectured  that  they  must  have  come  up 
the  stream  that  ran  away  to  the  eastward. 

*•  They  must  have  entered  the  valley  some  time  before  we 
discovered  them,  as  it  would  have  taken  them  several  days 
to  gnaw  down  the  trees  and  accumulate  the  materials  for  the 
dam  that  had  so  suddenly  started  up  to  alarm  us.  Some  of 
these  trees  were  nearly  a  foot  in  diameter,  while  many  of 
the  stones — which  they  had  rolled  up  or  carried  between 
their  fore  paws  and  throat — would  have  weighed  nearly  a 
score  of  pounds. 


126  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

'*  It  was  evident,  then,  they  had  arrived  late  in  the  season, 
and  had  worked  hard  to  get  ready  for  the  winter.  But  Cudjo 
and  I  were  determined,  as  soon  as  we  should  have  finished 
our  building  operations,  to  lend  them  a  hand  in  laying  in 
their  stock  of  provisions." 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  l?}^ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  SAGACIOUS  SQUIRREL. 

While  we  thus  stood  watching  the  movements  of  our 
beavers,  and  conversing  about  the  habits  of  these  interesting 
animals,  an  incident  occurred  which  very  much  amused  us, 
and  proved  that  the  beavers  were  not  the  only  animals  whom 
nature  had  gifted  with  extraordinary  sagacity. 

"  Near  the  middle  of  the  lake  stood  a  clump  of  tall  trees — 
their  trunks  immersed  for  two  or  three  feet  under  the  water. 
These  trees  had  been  upon  the  bank  of  the  rivulet  previous 
to  the  formation  of  the  dam ;  and  they  were  now  surrounded 
on  all  sides,  forming  a  kind  of  timber  islet.  It  was  evident, 
however,  that  they  were  destined  to  decay,  as  they  were  trees 
of  the  poplar  species,  and  such  as  could  not  live  with  their 
roots  covered  with  water. 

"  Among  the  tops  of  these  trees,  we  observed  several  small 
animals  leaping  nimbly  about  from  branch  to  branch,  and  from 
one  tree  to  the  other.  They  were  squirrels.  They  seemed 
to  be  laboring  under  some  unusual  excitement — as  though 
they  had  been  alarmed  by  the  presence  of  an  enemy.  But 
there  did  not  appear  to  be  any  such  enemy  near  them.  We 
noticed  that  they  passed  from  tree  to  tree,  running  down  the 
trunks  of  each,  as  far  as  the  water  would  allow  them  ;  and 
then,  after  looking  outward,  as  if  they  intended  to  leap  into 
the  lake,  they  would  suddenly  turn  back  again,  and  gallop  up 
into  the  high  branches.  There  were  in  all  about  a  dozen  of 
them  ;  but  the  nimbleness  with  which  they  passed  from  place 
to  place  would  have  led  one  to  believe  that  there  were  ten 
times  that  number  ;  and  the  twigs  and  leaves  were  constant- 
ly kept  in  motion,  as  though  a  large  flock  of  birds  were  flut- 
tering through  them. 


128  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

"  We  had  noticed  these  animals  before,  from  time  to  time, 
dashing  about  in  the  same  clump  of  trees  ;  but  not  thinking 
it  anything  unusual,  had  paid  no  attention  to  their  move- 
ments. Now,  however,  it  occurred  to  us  that  these  little 
creatures — who  never  take  to  the  water,  unless  compelled  by- 
absolute  necessity — had  been  suddenly  cut  off  from  their 
usual  range  by  the  forming  of  the  dam,  and  were  held  where 
they  were  in  a  state  of  captivity.  This  was  the  more  evident, 
as  the  trees  had  been  stripped  of  many  of  their  leaves,  ar.d 
the  bark  was  peeled  from  the  more  tender  twigs  and  branciies. 
It  was  plain  that  the  squirrels  had  been  living  for  some  time 
upon  short  allowance,  and  were  anxious  to  get  off  from  the 
place. 

"  We  now  saw  what  was  causing  the  unusual  commotion 
among  them  at  that  particular  time.  Near  the  clump  of  treeSj 
but  higher  up  the  lake,  a  small  log  was  floating  in  the  water. 
It  had  somehow  got  into  the  stream  above,  and  was  being 
borne  down  by  the  current.  It  was  at  this  moment  nearing 
the  little  island  of  timber  upon  which  were  the  squirrels,  but 
it  came  on  very  slowly,  as  the  current  through  the  lake  was 
hardly  perceptible.  It  was  this  log  that  Avas  causing  such  a 
flurry ;  and  the  animals  evidently  intended,  should  it  come 
near  enough,  to  use  it  as  a  raft. 

"  We  seated  ourselves  to  watch  their  maneuvers.  Or, 
came  the  log,  slowly  and  gradually  ;  but,  instead  of  drifting 
directly  for  the  timber,  it  was  borne  by  tlie  current  in  a 
direction  that  would  carry  it  at  least  twenty  yards  from  the 
trees.  The  squirrels  had  gathered  upon  that  side  ;  and  now, 
instead  of  running  up  and  down  the  trunks,  as  before,  they 
all  stood  upon  the  topmost  branches,  apparently  watching 
the  motions  of  the  log. 

"  '  Poor  little  creatures  !  '  said  Mary  ;  '  they  Vv ill  be  unable 
to  reach  it,  after  all.     What  a  pity  ! ' 

"  Just  as  she  made  this  reflection,  the  log  floated  forward 
to  the  point  where  it  was  likely  to  be  nearest  to  the  clump  in 
passing.  A  long  branch  stretched  out  in  that  direction  ;  but, 
as  we  calculated,  the  drift-wood  was  not  likeh^  to  pass  nearer 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  1 29 

than  twenty  yards.  On  this  branch,  however,  the  squirrels 
had  now  gathered,  one  behind  the  other,  in  a  long  string ; 
and  we  could  see  the  foremost  of  them  straining  himself  as  if 
to  spring. 

"  '  Surely,  they  do  not  intend — surely,  they  cannot  leap 
so  far ! '  said  Mary,  as  we  all  stood  holding  our  breath,  and 
watching  them  with  intense  curiosity. 

"  '  Yes,  Missa,'  replied  Cudjo  ;  '  de  do  intend.  Gosh  I  de 
leap  him,  too.  Dis  nigga  see  'em  in  Vaginny  leap  far  furrer. 
Looky  now  !     Yonder  de  go — wap  !  ' 

"  As  Cudjo  spoke,  the  foremost  squirrel  launched  out  into 
the  air,  and  the  next  moment  pounced  down  upon  the  log. 
Then  another  followed,  and  another,  and  another,  looking 
like  so  many  birds  flying  through  the  air  in  a  string,  until  the 
log  was  covered  with  the  little  creatures,  and  floated  off  with 
its  cargo. 

"  We  supposed  that  they  had  all  succeeded  in  getting  off ; 
but  in  this  we  were  mistaken.  On  looking  up  to  the  trees 
again,  we  saw  that  there  was  still  one  remaining.  He  ap- 
peared not  to  have  got  out  upon  the  projecting  branch  in 
time ;  for  the  weight  of  each  of  those  that  preceded  him, 
coming  down  upon  the  log,  had  pushed  it  so  far  off  that  he 
became,  no  doubt,  afraid  to  venture  taking  such  a  long  leap. 
He  was  now  running  to  and  fro,  apparently  in  a  frantic 
state — both  on  account  of  his  inability  to  escape,  and  his 
being  thus  left  alone.  For  some  time  he  kept  springing  from 
tree  to  tree,  running  down  the  trunks  of  all  to  the  very  edge 
of  the  w^ater,  and  stopping  now  and  again  to  look  hopelessly 
after  his  companions. 

"  At  length,  we  saw  him  descend  a  tree,  whose  bark  was 
•exceedingly  rough — in  fact,  crisped  outward  in  great,  broad 
pieces,  or  scales  of  a  foot  long,  and  several  inches  broad, 
that  looked  as  though  they  were  about  to  fall  from  the  tree. 
For  this  reason,  the  tree  is  known  among  backwoodsmen  as 
as  the  '  scaly  bark.'  Having  descended  this  tree,  nearly  to 
the  point  where  it  rose  above  the  water,  the  squirrel  was  seen 
to  stop  ;  and  for  a  moment  we  lost  sight  of  him,  where  h^ 
9 


i^O  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

was  hidden  behind  one  of  the  broad  pieces  of  bark.  We 
thouglU  he  had  taken  shelter  there,  intending  to  rest  himself. 
Presently,  however,  we  saw  the  bark  moving  backwards  and 
forwards  ;  and  from  what  we  could  see  of  the  little  animal, 
it  was  evident  he  was  trying  with  all  his  might  to  detach  it 
from  the  tree.  Occasionally  he  ran  out  from  the  crevice, 
scratched  the  bark  outside  with  teeth  and  claws,  and  then 
hurriedly  disappeared  again. 

"  These  strange  maneuvers  were  kept  up  for  several 
minutes,  while  we  all  remained  upon  the  shore,  watching 
with  curiosity  for  the  result. 

"  At  length,  we  saw  the  piece  of  bark  move  rapidly  out- 
ward from  the  trunk,  and  hang  down  suspended  only  by  a 
few  fibers.  These  were  soon  gnawed  by  the  teeth  of  the 
squirrel,  and  the  broad  scale  fell  into  the  water.  It  had 
hardly  touched  the  surface,  when  the  animal  ran  nimbly 
down,  and  leaped  upon  it.  There  w^as  no  current  at  the  spot 
where  the  bark  fell  into  the  water ;  and  we  w^ere  in  doubt 
whether  it  would  carry  him  out  from  among  the  trees  ;  but 
we  were  soon  convinced  that  our  squirrel  knew  what  he  was 
about.  As  soon  as  he  had  fairly  balanced  himself  upon  his 
tiny  craft,  he  hoisted  his  broad,  bushy  tail  high  up  in  the  air,  by 
way  of  a  sail ;  and  the  next  moment,  we  saw  that  the  breeze, 
catching  upon  it,  wafted  the  little  mariner  slowly,  but  surely, 
outward.  In  a  few  seconds  he  had  cleared  the  trees  ;  and 
the  wind  soon  brought  him  within  the  influence  of  the  cur- 
rent, which  caused  his  bark  to  float  downward  after  his  com- 
panions. 

"  These  had  well-nigh  reached  the  breastwork  of  the  dam  ; 
and  Harry  wished  very  much  to  intercept  them  as  they  got 
to  land.  This  wish,  however,  was  overruled  by  his  mother, 
who  very  justly  declared  that  the  little  creatures  deserved  to 
escape,  after  having  so  well  amused  us  by  their  ingenuit3^ 

"  In  a  short  time  they  all  leaped  ashore,  and  went  scamper- 
ing off  among  the  trees  in  search  of  a  dinner — for  by  this 
time,  no  doubt,  they  were  sufficiently  hungry." 


1'Hit    JJtbLKT    liOMJi. 


I3i 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A  HOUSE  BUILT  WITHOUT  A  NAIL. 

"  Next  day  Cudjo  and  I  went  on  with  our  house  building. 
This  day  was  appropriated  to  roofing-  it.  We  first  laid  a  row 
of  the  clapboards,  projecting  considerably  over  the  eaves,  so 
as  to  cast  the  water  far  out.  These  we  secured  near  their 
lower  ends  by  a  long,  straight  pole,  which  traversed  the  roof 
horizontally  from  gable,  to  gable,  and  was  lashed  down  by 
strips  of  wet  elk  hide.  These  w^e  knew  would  tighten  as  they 
dried,  and  press  the  pole  firmerth  an  ever  against  the  boards. 

"  We  now  laid  a  second  row  of  the  clapboards — with  their 
lower  ends  riding  the  upper  ones  of  the  first  row,  and  thus 
securing  them.  The  second  row  was  in  its  turn  secured  by 
a  horizontal  pole  along  its  bottom,  and  at  its  top  by  the 
lower  ends  of  the  third  row ;  and  so  on  up  to  the  ridge. 

"  The  other  side  w-as  shingled  in  a  similar  manner  and 
the  ridge  itself  was  secured  against  leakage  by  allowing  the 
clapboards  on  one  side  to  project  upwards,  and  shelter  the 
ends  of  those  on  the  other.  This  gave  our  cabin  quite  a 
chanticleer  sort  of  comb  along  its  top,  and  added  to  the 
picturesqueness  of  its  appearance. 

"Our  house  was  now  built  and  roofed,  and  we  could  say 
ihat  we  had  finished  a  house  w^ithout  ever  having  been  inside 
of  it — for  as  yet  it  had  neither  door  nor  windows.  As  the 
spaces  between  the  logs  were  not  yet  '  chinked,^  it  looked 
more  like  a  gigantic  cage  than  a  house. 

"  Our  next  day  was  devoted  to  making  the  door  and 
window — that  is,  making  the  apertures  where  these  were  to 
be.     We  designed  having  only  one  window^ — in  the  back. 

•*  The  manner  in  which  we  opened  our  doorway  was  very 
•simple.     Haying  first  carefully  rested  the  logs — which  wer^ 


1^2  THE  DESERT   HOME. 

to  be  on  each  side  of  the  door — upon  firm  wedges,  we  sawed 
away  the  parts  between.  Fortunately,  we  had  a  saw,  cc 
this  operation  would  have  given  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble, 
Of  course,  we  sawed  away  the  proper  size  for  a  door ;  and 
thus  our  doorway,  by  placing  the  lintels  and  posts,  was  con- 
plete.  In  a  similar  manner,  we  cut  out  our  window  in  the 
back.  We  then  went  to  work  upon  one  of  the  soft  tulip 
trees,  and  sawed  out  enough  plank  to  make  a  door  and  win- 
dow, or,  rather,  a  window  shutter.  These  we  cut  to  the 
proper  size,  and  bound  them  together  by  slats,  and  treenails 
made  out  of  the  hard  locust  wood.  We  then  hung  them— 
both  door  and  window  shutter — with  strips  of  elk  skin. 
That  night  we  carried  in  all  our  bedding  and  utensils,  and 
slept  under  the  roof  of  our  new  house. 

"  It  was  still  far  from  being  finished  ;  and  the  next  day  we 
set  about  buildifig  a  fireplace  and  chimney.  This,  of  course, 
was  to  be  in  one  of  the  gable  ends,  and  we  chose  that  look- 
ing northward — for  we  had  built  our  cabin  fronting  to  the 
east.  We  wedged  the  logs  precisely  as  we  had  done  with 
the  door,  and  then  sawed  away  the  space  between,  up  to  the 
height  of  an  ordinary  mantelpiece.  Behind  this,  and  alto- 
gether outside  the  house,  we  built  a  fireplace  of  stones  and 
clay, — laying  a  hearth  of  the  same  materials,  that  completely 
covered  the  sleeper, — in  order  to  prevent  the  latter  from 
being  burnt.  On  the  top  of  this  fireplace,  the  chimney  was 
still  to  be  erected ;  and  this  was  done  by  notching  short, 
straight  pieces  of  timber,  and  placing  them  across  each  other, 
exactly  as  we  had  laid  the  logs  of  the  house  itself.  These 
pieces  were  put  in  shorter  as  we  advanced  to  the  tojD — so 
that  the  top  ones  might  be  lighter  and  more  easily  supported 
by  those  below  ;  and  when  the  whole  was  finished,  and  the 
chinks  filled  with  clay,  our  chimney  tapered  upward  like  the 
funnel  of  a  little  factory.  The  chimney  and  fireplace  occu- 
pied us  quite  a  day,  and  at  night — although  it  w^as  not  very 
cold — we  tried  it  with  a  log  fire.     It  drew  beautifully. 

■'  Next  day  we  '  chinked  '  the  walls  all   round  with  chips, 
stones,  and  clay.     We  chinked  gables  and  all  until  not  a  hoi« 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  J 33 

was  to  be  seen  that  would  let  a  mouse  through.  The  floor 
still  remained;  but  we  intended  to  lay  this  with  plank,  and  as 
we  had  no  means  of  getting  them  except  by  our  small  saw. 
and  they  would  require  some  time  to  dry,  we  resolved  to  at- 
tend, first,  to  several  other  things  that  were  of  more  neces- 
sity, and  finish  the  floor  at  our  leisure.  We  carpeted  the 
ground,  which  was  quite  dry,  with  green  palmetto  leaves,  and 
that  rendered  it  sufficiently  comfortable  for  the  present. 
We  now  formally  entered  our  new  house,  which  we  had 
built  from  floor  to  chimney  without  a  7iail ! 

"  Our  next  care  was  to  furnish  our  horse  with  a  house — in 
other  words,  to  build  a  stable.  Not  that  the  w^eather  ren- 
dered it  at  all  necessary  for  Pompo — so  our  horse  was  called 
— to  sleep  under  a  roof ;  but  we  were  fearful  lest  some  beast 
of  prey,  prowling  about  by  night,  should  fancy  him — as  the 
carcajou  had  fancied  our  poor  ox. 

"  The  stable  was  only  a  two  days'  job,  as  we  built  it  out 
of  logs  already  cut,  and  roofed  it  with  the  refuse  of  our  clap- 
boards. Besides,  we  had  no  window  nor  chimney  to  make, 
and  we  did  not  chink  the  logs,  as  that  was  not  necessary  for 
a  stable  ki  such  a  climate.  Our  horse  would  be  w^arm 
enough  without  that ;  and  Cudjo  had  made  him  a  trough,  by 
hollowing  out  one  of  the  tuHp  trees. 

"  From  that  time  forth,  Pompo  was  regularly  called  every 
evening  at  sunset,  and  shut  up  in  his  stable.  We  could  not 
afford  to  let  the  carcajou  make  a  meal  of  him,  as  in  our  log 
hauling  and  other  labors  he  was  of  great  service  to  us. 

"  As  soon  as  the  stable  was  finished,  we  set  to  work  and 
put  up  a  table  and  six  strong  chairs.  As  I  have  said,  w^e 
had  no  nails  ;  but,  fortunately  enough,  I  had  both  a  chisel 
and  auger,  with  several  other  useful  tools.  All  of  these  I 
had  brought  in  the  great  chest  from  Virginia,  thinking  they 
might  be  needed  on  our  beautiful  farm  at  Cairo.  With  the 
help  of  these,  and  Cudjo's  great  skill  as  a  joiner,  we  were 
able  to  mortise  and  dovetail  at  our  pleasure;  and  I  had 
made  a  most  excellent  glue  from  the  horn  sof  the  elk  and 
ox,  along  with  their  hoofs,     We  wanted  a  plane  to  polish  our 


134  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

table;  but  this  was  a  want  which  we  could  easily  endure. 
The  lid  of  our  table  was  made  of  plank  sawed  out  of  the 
catalpa  tree  ;  and  with  some  pieces  of  pumice  I  had  picked 
up  in  the  valley,  and  the  constant  scouring  which  it  received 
at  the  hands  of  our  housewife,  it  soon  exhibited  a  surface  as 
smooth  as  glass.  From  my  finding  this  pumice  stone,  I  con- 
cluded that  our  snow  mountain  had  once  been  a  volcano — 
perhaps  like  the  peak  of  Teneriffe,  standing  alone  in  the 
water,  when  the  great  plain  around  us  had  been  covered 
with  a  sea. 

"  Cudjo  and  I  did  not  forget  the  promise  we  had  made  to 
the  beavers.  We  could  see  these  little  creatures,  from  day 
to  day,  very  busy  in  drawing  large  branches  to  the  water, 
and  then  floating  them  towards  their  houses.  We  knew  that 
this  was  for  their  winter  provisions.  They  had  grown  quite 
tame,  as  soon  as  they  found  we  were  not  going  to  molest 
them,  and  frequently  came  out  on  our  side  of  the  lake.  For 
this  confidence  on  their  part,  we  were  determined  to  give 
them  a  treat  they  little  dreamed  of, — at  least,  of  receiving 
from  our  hands. 

"  I  had  noticed  a  clump  of  beautiful  trees,  which  grew 
near  one  side  of  the  glade,  and  not  far  from  where  we  had 
built  our  house.  Our  attention  had  been  called  to  them  by 
the  aromatic  fragrance  of  their  flowers,  that  blew  around  us 
all  the  time  we  were  engaged  in  building.  They  were  low, 
crooked  trees,  not  over  thirty  feet  in  height,  with  oval  leaves, 
six  inches  in  length,  and  of  a  bluish-green  color.  The 
flowers  were  about  the  size  of  a  rose,  although  more  like 
a  lily  in  appearance,  and  white  as  snow.  Their  perfume 
was  extremely  agreeable  ;  and  Mary  was  in  the  habit  of 
gathering  a  bunch  of  them  daily,  and  placing  them  in  a 
vessel  of  water. 

"  I  have  already  said  that  my  wife  understood  botany ; 
and  all  botanists  take  a  pleasurr  "  imparting  their  knowl- 
edge to  others.  She  explained  u  ..s,  therefore,  the  nature 
and  properties  of  this  sweet-scented  tree.  It  was  a  species 
of  magnolia — not  that  which  is  celebrated  for  its  large  flowers, 


i 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I35 

but  cnother  kind.  It  was  the  magnolia  glauca,  sometimes 
caiiMl  '  swamp  sassafras/  but  more  generally  known  among 
hunters  and  trappers  as  the  'beaver  tree.'  It  is  so  named 
by  tn<;m,  because  the  beaver  is  fonder  of  its  roots  than  of 
any  other  food  ;  so  fond  of  it,  indeed,  that  it  is  often  used 
as  a  bait  to  the  traps  by  which  these  animals  are  caught. 

"  Whether  our  beavers  had  already  discovered  their  favorite 
tree  in  some  other  part  of  the  valley,  we  did  not  know.  Pro- 
bably they  had ;  but,  at  all  events,  Cudjo  and  I,  by  a  very 
little  labor,  with  our  spade  and  ax,  could  save  them  a  great 
deal ;  and  so  we  set  about  it. 

''  In  a  few  hours,  we  had  dug  up  several  armfuls  of  the 
long,  branching  roots,  and  carried  them  down  to  the  edge  of 
the  lake.  We  flung  them  into  the  water  at  a  place  where 
we  knew  the  animals  were  in  the  habit  of  frequenting.  In  a 
short  time,  the  aromatic  roots  were  discovered,  when  a  whole 
crowd  of  beavers  were  seen  hurrying  to  the  spot,  and  swim- 
ming urf  again  to  their  houses,  each  with  a  root  or  a  whole 
bunch  of  them  in  his  teeth.  That  was  a  grand  festival  for 
the  be«.ver»." 


i^6  THE   DESERT    HOME, 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A   BATTUE   OF    BLACKTAILS. 

"  Of  course,  we  could  do  nothing  more  for  our  beavers,  at 
present.  It  was  not  our  intention  to  trap  any  of  them  until 
they  should  become  very  numerous,  and  then  we  could  ob- 
tain, annually,  a  large  number  of  skins.  Their  tails,  we 
knew,  were  very  good  to  eat, — in  fact,  quite  a  delicacy, — 
but  we  could  not  afford  to  kill  one  of  them  merely  for  the 
sake  of  eating  his  tail ;  and  the  other  parts  of  the  beaver's 
flesh  are  by  no  means  palatable.  Besides,  we  expected  to 
find  enough  of  game  without  that,  as  in  every  part,  where  the 
ground  was  soft,  we  saw  the  tracks  of  deer  and  other  animals. 

"  By  the  time  we  had  fairly  furnished  our  house,  the  flesh 
of  the  elk  was  beginning  to  run  short,  so  that  a  grand  hunt- 
ing excursion  was  determined  upon.  It  was  also  to  be  an  ex= 
ploring  expedition,  as,  up  to  this  time,  we  had  not  visited  any 
part  of  the  valley  except  that  which  lay  immediately  around 
our  house.  Frank,  Harry,  and  myself  were  to  form  the 
party,  while  Cudjo  was  to  remain  by  the  house,  and  guard 
the  female  portion  of  our  little  community  with  his  great  spear. 

"  Everything  being  ready,  we  started  out  with  our  three 
rifles,  and  took  the  route  up  the  valley.  As  we  passed  along 
under  high  trees,  we  could  see  squirrels  upon  all  sides  of 
us ;  some  of  them  sitting  on  their  hind  quarters,  like  little 
monkeys  ;  some  of  them  cracking  nuts  ;  some  of  them  bark- 
ing, like  toy  dogs  ;  while  others,  again,  leaped  about  among 
the  branches.  Of  course,  as  we  advanced  upon  them,  they 
sprang  up  the  trees,  or  streaked  off  along  the  ground,  so 
swiftly,  that  it  seemed  more  like  the  flight  of  a  bird  than  the 
running  of  a  four-footed  animal.  On  reaching  a  tree,  they 
would  gallop  up  it,  generally  keeping  on  the  opposite  side  to 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I37 

that  on  which  we  were,  so  that  they  might  be  secure. 
Sometimes,  however,  their  curiosity  would  get  the  better  of 
their  fears,  and,  when  they  had  cUmbed  as  high  as  the  first 
or  second  forking  of  the  branches,  they  would  stop  there, 
and  gaze  down  upon  us,  all  the  while  flourishing  their  light, 
bushy  tails.  We  had  excellent  opportunities  of  getting  a  shot 
at  them,  and  Harry,  who  was  not  so  thoughtful  as  his 
brother,  wished  very  much  to  try  his  skill ;  but  I  forbade 
this,  telling  him  that  we  could  not  afford  to  throw  away  our 
ammunition  on  such  small  game.  Indeed,  this  was  a  thought 
that  frequently  entered  my  mind,  and  made  me  anxious 
about  what  we  should  do  when  our  ammunition  became  ex- 
hausted. I  cautioned  both  my  boys,  therefore,  not  to  spend . 
a  single  shot  on  any  animal  smaller  than  elk  or  deer ;  and 
they  promised  to  obey  me. 

"  When  we  had  gone  about  a  mile  up  stream,  we  saw  that 
the  trees  grew  thinner  as  we  advanced,  and  then  opened  into 
small  glades,  or  spaces  covered  with  herbage  and  flowers, 
usually  called  *  openings.'  This,  surely,  was  the  very  place 
to  find  deer — much  more  likely  than  in  the  thick  woods, 
where  these  animals  are  in  more  danger  from  the  cougar  and 
carcajou,  that  occasionally  drop  upon  them  from  the  trees. 
We  had  not  gone  far  among  these  openings  before  we  saw 
fresh  tracks.  They  were  more  like  the  tracks  of  a  goat  than 
those  of  a  deer,  except  that  they  were  much  larger.  They 
were  nearly  as  large  as  the  tracks  of  the  elk ;  but  we  knew 
they  were  not  these. 

"  We  advanced  with  great  caution,  keeping  in  the  under- 
wood as  much  as  possible.  At  length  we  saw  that  there  was 
a  large  glade  before  us,  much  larger  than  any  we  had  yet 
passed.  We  could  tell  this  by  the  wide,  clear  spaces  that 
appeared  through  the  trees.  We  stole  silently  forward  to 
the  edge  of  this  glade,  and,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  saw  a 
herd  of  deer  feeding  quietly  out  upon  the  open  ground. 

"  '  Papa,  they  are  not  deer,'  said  Frank,  as  we  first  came 
in  sight  of  them.  *  See  !  who  ever  heard  of  deer  with  such 
ears  as  those  ?     J  declare,  they  are  as  long  as  a  mule's.' 


138  THE   DCSERT   HOME. 

"  *  Yes,'  added  Harry  ;  '  and  who  ever  heard  of  deer  with 
black  tails  ? ' 

"  I  confess  I  was  myself  puzzled  for  a  while.  The  ani- 
mals before  us  were  certainly  deer,  as  their  long,  slender 
legs,  and  great,  branched  antlers  testified ;  but  they  were 
ver)'  different  from  the  common  kind,  and  different,  too,  from 
the  elk.  They  were  much  larger  than  the  red,  or  fallow  deer, 
though  not  unlike  them  in  shape  and  color.  But  that  which 
was  strange,  as  my  boys  had  at  once  noticed,  was  the  pe- 
culiarity of  their  ears  and  tails.  The  former  were  quite  as 
long  as  the  ears  of  a  mule,  and  reached  more  than  half  way 
to  the  tops  of  their  antlers.  Their  tails,  again,  were  short 
and  bushy,  of  a  whitish  color  underneath,  but  on  the  top  and 
above  as  black  as  the  wing  of  a  crow.  There  were  also  some 
black  hairs  upon  their  backs,  and  a  black  stripe  along  the 
neck  and  shoulders,  while  their  noses,  on  each  side,  were  of 
a  pale,  ashy  color — all  of  which  marks  gave  thema  very  dif- 
ferent appearance  from  the  Virginian  or  English  deer. 

"  I  have  said  that  I  was  at  first  puzzled ;  but  I  soon  recol- 
lected having  heard  of  these  animals,  although  they  are  but 
little  known  to  naturalists.  They  could  be  no  other  than 
the  *  black-tailed  deer,'  of  the  Rocky  Mountains— the  cervus 
macrotis  described  by  the  naturalist  Say.  This  was  evident, 
both  from  their  size,  the  great  length  of  their  ears,  but  more 
than  all  from  the  color  of  their  tails  ;  from  which  last  circum- 
stance their  common  name  has  been  given  them  by  the  hun- 
ters and  trappers. 

We  did  not  stop  long  to  examine  them.  We  were  too 
anxious  to  have  a  shot  at  them ;  but  how  were  we  to  get 
near  enough  ?  There  were  seven  of  them  in  the  herd ;  but 
they  were  quite  out  in  the  middle  of  the  glade,  and  that  was 
more  than  three  hundred  yards  wide.  The  nearest  of  the 
seven  was  beyond  the  range  even  of  my  long  rifle.  What, 
then,  was  best  to  be  done  ? 

"  After  thinking  about  this  for  a  moment,  I  saw  that  an 
open  passage  led  out  of  the  glade  through  the  trees,  on  the 
other  side.    It  was  a  wide  avenue,  leading  into  some  othejr 


THE   DESERl"    HOME.  139 

glade ;  and  I  knew  that  the  deer,  when  startled,  would  be 
most  likely  to  make  off  in  that  direction.  I  determined, 
therefore,  to  creep  round  to  the  other  side,  and  intercept 
them  as  they  attempted  to  run  through.  Frank  was  to  re- 
main where  we  first  saw  them  ;  while  Harry  would  go  half 
way  along  with  me,  and  then  take  his  stand  behind  a  tree. 
We  should  thus  enclose  the  deer  in  a  sort  of  triangle,  and 
some  one  of  us  would  be  sure  of  getting  them  within  range 
before  they  could  escape. 

"  I  had  scarcely  got  to  the  edge  of  the  opening,  when  I 
saw  that  the  herd  was  browsing  in  towards  Frank.  They 
were  every  moment  getting  closer  and  closer  to  him,  and  I 
watched  eagerly  for  the  shot.  I  knew  he  would  not  fire 
until  they  were  very  near,  as  I  had  cautioned  him  not  to  do 
so,  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  his  rifle.  Presently  I 
saw  the  stream  of  smoke  and  fire  issuing  from  the  leaves ; 
then  followed  the  sharp  crack,  and  then  the  yelping  of  our 
dogs  as  they  broke  forward.  At  the  same  time,  one  of  the 
deer  was  seen  to  spring  upward  and  fall  dead  in  its  tracks. 
The  others  wheeled  and  ran,  first  one  way  and  then  another, 
in  their  confusion  ;  until,  after  doubling  several  times,  they 
made  towards  the  opening  where  I  stood.  In  their  flight, 
however,  they  had  gone  too  close  to  Harry  ;  and,  as  they 
were  running  past  his  stand,  the  tiny  crack  of  a  rifle  was 
heard  among  the  bushes,  and  another  of  the  blacktails  rolled 
over  on  the  plain. 

"  It  was  now  my  turn ;  and  I  prepared  myself  to  make 
the  best  shot  I  could,  or  be  beaten  by  my  own  boys.  So, 
as  they  came  up,  I  let  drive  at  them,  to  my  mortification, 
missing  them  every  one — as  I  thought  at  the  moment.  It 
soon  appeared,  however,  that  I  was  mistaken  in  this. 
Castor  and  Pollux  swept  past  upon  the  heels  of  the  herd ; 
and  before  they  had  disappeared  out  of  the  long  avenue,  I 
saw  the  dogs  spring  upon  the  haunches  of  one  that  lagged 
behind,  and  drag  him  to  the  ground.  I  ran  to  their  assist- 
ance, and,  seizing  the  wounded  animal  by  one  of  its  antlers, 
soon  put  an  end  to  it  with  my  knife.     I  had  wounded  it  in 


140  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

the  flank,  and  that  had  enabled  the  mastiffs  to  overtake  h, 
which  they  could  not  have  done  otherwise,  as  its  companions 
were  at  the  time  several  hundred  yards  ahead  of  it.  We  all 
now  came  together,  exulting  in  the  fine  fortune  we  had  met 
with,  for  we  had  made  a  regular  battue  of  it.  We  were  glad 
that  none  of  us  had  missed,  and  that  we  had  succeeded  in 
obtaining  so  much  good  meat ;  for  we  were  not  slaughtering 
these  beautiful  creatures  out  of  wanton  sport,  but  from  the 
necessity  of  procuring  food.  Each  congratulated  the  others 
upon  their  good  shooting,  and  said  nothing  of  his  own — al- 
though it  was  plain  that  all  three  of  us  were  proud  of  our 
respective  shots.  To  do  justice,  however,  that  of  Harry  was 
decidedly  the  best.  He  had  knocked  his  one  oi^er  while  on 
the  run — no  easy  matter  with  these  blacktails,  who  do  not 
gallop  regularly  as  other  deer,  but  bound  forward,  lifting  all 
their  feet  together,  as  you  will  sometimes  see  sheep  do. 
This  mode  of  running  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  their 
species  ;  which,  perhaps,  more  than  any  other  thing,  distin- 
guishes them  from  the  common  deer. 

''  After  carefully  wiping  out,  and  then  reloading,  our  rifles, 
vve  rested  them  against  the  trees,  and  set  to  work  to  skin  our 
game. 

"  While  engaged  in  this  operation,  Harry  complained  of 
thirst.  Indeed,  we  were  all  thirsty  as  well,  for  the  sun  was 
hot,  and  we  had  walked  a  good  distance.  We  could  not  be 
far  from  the  stream,  although  we  were  not  sure  of  its  direc- 
tion ;  and  Harry,  taking  the  tin  cup  which  we  had  brought 
with  us,  set  out  to  find  it,  promising  soon  to  return  with 
water  for  our  relief.  He  had  only  left  us  but  a  short  while, 
when  we  heard  him  calling  back  through  the  trees ;  and, 
thinking  that  some  animal  might  have  attacked  him,  Frank 
and  I  seized  our  rifles,  and  ran  after  him.  On  coming  up, 
we  were  surprised  to  find  him  standing  quietly  on  the  bank 
of  a  crystal  rivulet,  holding  the  cup  full  of  water  in  his 
hand. 

"  '  Why  did  you  bring  us  away  ? '  asked  Frank. 

"  *  Taste  this,'  replied  he  ;  '  here's  a  pickle  1 ' 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  I4I 

"  *  O  papa ! '  cried  Frank,  after  applying  the  cup  to  his  lips  ; 
'salt  as  brine,  I  declare.' 

"  '  Salt  you  may  say,'  continued  his  brother ;  *  the  sea  it* 
self  is  not  so  salt.     Taste  it,  papa.' 

"  I  did  as  I  was  desired ;  and,  to  my  delight,  I  found  that 
the  water  of  the  rivulet  was,  what  Frank  had  alleged,  *  salt 
as  brine.'  I  say  to  my  delight,  for  I  was  greatly  pleased  at 
this  discovery.  The  boys  could  not  understand  this,  as  they, 
being  now  very  thirsty,  would  much  rather  have  met  with  a 
cup  of  fresh,  than  a  whole  river  of  salt  water.  I  soon  pointed 
out  to  them  the  importance  of  what  we  had  found.  We  had 
been  in  great  need  of  salt, — for  we  had  not  a  single  grain  of 
it, — and  had  felt  the  want  ever  since  our  arrival  in  the  valley. 
Only  they  who  cannot  get  salt  can  understand  what  a  ter- 
rible thing  it  is  to  be  without  this  homely  but  necessa^ 
article. 

"  The  flesh  of  our  elk,  which  for  many  days  past  we  lived 
upon,  had  proved  quite  insipid  for  want  of  salt,  and  we  had 
not  been  able  to  make  a  soup  that  was  in  any  way  palatable. 
Now,  however,  we  should  have  as  much  as  we  desired ;  and 
I  explained  to  my  companions,  that,  by  simply  boiling  this 
water  in  our  kettles,  we  should  obtain  the  very  thing  we  so 
much  stood  in  need  of.  This,  as  they  saw,  would  be  great 
news  for  mamma  on  our  return  ;  and  the  prospect  of  making 
her  happy,  by  imparting  the  information,  rendered  all  of  us 
impatient  to  get  back.  We  did  not  stay  a  moment  by  the 
salt  stream,  whicTi  was  a  very  small  rivulet  of  blue  water, 
and  evidently  running  from  some  spring  that  bubbled  in  the 
valley.  Not  far  below  us,  we  saw  where  it  ran  into  the  main 
stre^.m  of  fresh  water ;  and,  keeping  down  to  the  latter,  we 
quenched  our  thirst,  and  then  went  back  to  our  v.^ork. 

"  We  made  all  the  haste  we  could,  and  our  three  black- 
tails  were  soon  skinned,  quartered,  and  hung  upon  the  trees, 
so  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  the  wolves  while  we  should  be 
gone.  We  now  shouldered  our  rifles,  and  hurried  back  to 
the  house." 


143  THE  DESERT   HOxME, 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

CATCHING  A  TARTAR. 

"  Of  course,  Mary  was  much  pleased  on  hearing  of  the 
discovery  we  had  made.  One  of  the  first  requisites  of  a 
housewife  is  a  supply  of  good  salt ;  and  that  we  promised  to 
obtain  for  her  on  the  morrow.  It  was  our  intention  to 
carry  the  kettle  up  to  the  salt  stream,  and  there  manufacture 
the  article,  as  that  would  be  more  convenient  than  to  bring 
the  water  dov/n  to  the  house.  This  piece  of  work  we  laid 
out  for  the  next  day.  Meanwhile,  as  it  was  not  yet  near 
night,  we  caught  Pompo,  and  set  off  again  to  bring  our 
blacktails  home.  This  required  us  to  make  several  journeys, 
as  we  had  no  cart  by  which  we  could  bring  the  deer  all  at 
once,  and  each  of  them  was  as  large  as  a  good-sized  heifer. 
We  succeeded,  however,  in  getting  all  to  the  house  before 
sunset,  except  the  skins,  which  we  left  hanging  on  the  trees 
for  another  day.  While  the  boys  and  I  had  been  engaged 
at  this  work,  Cudjo  was  not  idle.  It  was  our  intention  to 
cure  the  venison — not  by  '  jerking,'  as  we  had  done  the  elk 
meat,  but  with  the  salt,  which  we  were  about  to  make  on  the 
morrow.  For  this  purpose  we  should  require  a  large  vessel, 
capable  of  holding  the  pickle.  We  had  nothing  of  the  sort ; 
and,  of  course,  we  were  puzzled  for  a  while  as  to  how  we 
should  manage  without  it.  It  was  early  in  the  day — before 
we  had  brought  in  the  venison — that  this  difficulty  occurred 
to  us. 

"  *  Why  could  we  not  leave  it  in  the  stream  itself  ?  '  asked 
Harry.  '  The  water  is  very  clear,  and  there  are  clean,  hard 
rocks  on  the  bottom.  Why  could  we  not  sink  the  quarters 
of  venison  on  these  rocks,  and  make  them  fast,  by  placing 
great  stones  on  them  ?  * 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  1 43 

" '  Ha,  ha  ! '  laughed  Frank  ;  '  trust  the  wolves  for  finding 
them  there.  These  gentry  would  soon  empty  your  famous 
pickle  barrel.' 

"  '  Look  hyar,  Massa,'  said  Cudjo ;  *  this  nigga  sees  no  diffi- 
culty 'bout  dat.     He  soon  make  a  place  for  de  meat.' 

"  '  How,  Cudjo  ? '  inquired  Mary. 

"  '  Why,  Missa,  same's  dey  make  de  ole  dug-out  in  Vaginny 
— by  hollering  out  de  log.' 

"  This  was  the  very  thing  itself.  A  log  hollowed  out  after 
the  manner  of  a  canoe,  or  '  dug-out,' — as  Cudjo  was  used  to 
designate  this  species  of  craft, — would  answer  the  purpose 
admirably  ;  and  Cudjo,  having  chosen  a  line  large  section  of 
a  tulip  tree,  went  to  work.  By  the  time  we  had  got  our  last 
load  to  the  house,  he  had  made  a  cavity  in  the  tree  that  was 
large  enough  to  contain  the  three  blacktails  at  once.  A 
valuable  idea  was  also  suggested  by  this  operation.  We 
remembered  the  wooden  trays,  dishes,  and  other  utensils — 
made  in  this  way — that  we  had  often  seen  among  the  negroes 
on  our  plantation.  These,  however  rude,  we  saw  answered 
the  purpose  well;  we  might  hereafter  supply  ourselves  in  a 
similar  manner. 

"  After  breakfast,  the  next  morning,  we  started  for  the 
salt  stream.  We  all  went  together ;  Mary  riding  the  horse, 
while  Cudjo  and  I  carried  the  children  in  our  arms.  Frank 
and  Harry  took  the  kettle  upon  a  long  pole  between  them, 
each,  at  the  same  time,  having  his  rifle  in  the  other  hand. 
The  dogs,  of  course,  followed  us,  and  our  house  was  left  to  take 
care  of  itself.  W^e  had  hung  the  venison  upon  high  branches, 
lest  the  wolves  might  take  a  fancy  to  it  in  our  absence. 

"  Mary  was  charmed  with  the  scenery  as  we  passed  along, 
particularly  whore  the  woods  began  to  open,  as  they  did,  to- 
wards the  upper  end  of  the  valley.  She  noticed  the  various 
kind  of  trees  as  we  advanced,  and  at  one  time  uttered  a  joy- 
ous exclamation,  as  though  she  had  seen  something  that 
nleased  her  more  than  common. 

"  We  all  questioned  her  as  to  what  it  was ;  but  she  would 
odtisfy  us  no  further  than  by  telling  us  that  she  had  made  a 


144  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

discovery  of  nearly  as  much  importance  as  our  salt  river. 
We  were  all  curious  to  know  what  it  was  ;  but  my  wife 
checked  our  curiosity  by  observing,  very  justly,  that,  as  we 
were  happy  enough  at  that  time  she  might  make  us  too 
happy ;  and  she  should  therefore  reserve  her  secret  until  we 
got  back  to  our  house  in  the  evening.  *  We  may  then  be 
weary  and  out  of  spirits,'  added  she ;  '  but  I  have  something 
to  tell  that  will  make  you  all  merry  again.' 

"  I  could  not  help  admiring  the  good  sense  and  patience 
of  my  wife,  thus  reserving  pleasant  news  for  a  time 
when  they  might  be  more  available  in  producing  a  happy 
effect. 

"  As  we  were  all  marching  through  a  small  glade,  talking 
and  laughing  in  high  glee,  an  animal  leaped  out  of  some 
bushes  before  us,  and  ran  slowly  off  to  one  side.  It  was  a 
beautiful  little  creature,  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  with  dark, 
glossy  hair,  spotted  about  the  head  and  neck,  and  with  clear, 
white  stripes  running  along  its  back.  It  did  not  go  far  be- 
fore it  stopped,  and,  throwing  up  its  long,  bushy  tail,  looked 
back  at  us  with  the  playful  and  innocent  air  of  a  kitten.  I 
knew  very  well  what  the  pretty  creature  was.  Not  so  the 
impetuous  Harry,  who,  thinking  that  here  was  the  very  '  pet ' 
he  wanted,  dropped  his  pole,  kettle,  and  all,  and  made 
after  it. 

"  I  cried  out  to  him  to  desist,  but  the  boy,  either  not 
hearing  me, — on  account  of  the  yelping  of  the  dogs,  who 
had  also  started  in  pursuit, — or  being  too  intent  on  making  a 
capture,  ran  on  after  the  animal.  But  the  chase  did  not  last 
long.  The  little  creature,  apparently  not  the  least  frightened 
at  the  terrible  enemies  that  were  so  close  upon  its  heels,  stood 
near  the  edge  of  the  glade,  as  if  to  await  its  pursuers. 
Harry,  as  he  ran,  was  all  the  while  eagerly  scolding  off  the 
dogs.  He  wanted  to  take  the  little  beauty  alive,  and  he 
feared  that  the  mastiffs  would  kill  it  before  he  could  come 
up.  It  looked,  too,  as  if  they  would;  for  they  were  now 
almost  on  top  of  it,  yelping  with  open  mouths.  Just  at  this 
moment,  the   stranire  animal  was  seen  to  elevate  its  hind 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  1 45 

quarters,  throw  its  long  tail  forward  over  its  back,  and  give 
a  sudden  jerk  of  its  body,  as  if  by  way  of  an  insult  to  its 
pursuers.  But  it  meant  something  more  than  a  mere  insult. 
It  mean  to  punish  them  for  their  audacity.  The  effect  of 
that  singular  movement  was  at  once  apparent.  The  dogs 
suddenly  wheeled  in  their  tracks.  Their  victorious  yelping 
was  changed  to  a  fearful  howling ;  and  both  of  them  ran 
back,  thrusting  their  noses  into  the  grass,  and  capering  over 
the  ground  as  if  they  had  either  been  stung  by  wasps  or  had 
suddenly  fallen  into  convulsions.  Harry  stopped  for  a 
moment  wondering  at  this.  He  did  not  stop  long.  The 
next  moment  we  saw  him  throw  his  hands  up  to  his  face, 
and,  uttering  a  cry  that  betokened  pain  and  terror,  come 
running  back  as  quick    as  he  had  gone  off. 

"  The  polecat  (for  it  was  a  polecat — the  mephitis  chinga, 
or  American  skunk),  for  an  instant  after  he  had  discharged 
the  fetid  shower,  stood  looking  over  his  shoulder  in  such  a 
way,  that  we  could  almost  fancy  he  was  laughing.  Then 
jerking  his  tail  from  side  to  side  in  a  frolicsome  manner,  he 
made  a  bound  into  the  bramble,  and  disappeared. 

"  Whether  the  skunk  laughed  or  not,  we  did — especially 
Frank,  who  took  this  method  of  retaliating  upon  his  brother 
for  dropping  the  great  kettle  against  his  shins.  But  we  had 
no  time  to  lose  in  talk,  until  we  could  get  some  distance 
from  the  glade,  which  was  now  filled  with  the  suffocating 
smell.  So,  calling  upon  Harry  to  lay  hold  of  his  burden,  we 
hurried  as  quickly  as  possible  from  the  spot.  The  dogs, 
however,  brought  the  effluvia  along  with  them  ;  and  it  re- 
quired unusual  scolding  and  pelting  of  stones  to  keep  them 
at  a  respectful  distance.  Harry  had  come  off  better  than  I 
expected,  as  the  animal  had  directed  its  battery  against  the 
dogs,  and  he  had  only  received  enough  of  the  discharge  to 
punish  him  for  his  rashness  and  disobedience. 

"  As  we  continued  our  journey,  I  took  the  opportunity  to 
instruct  my  children  in  the  habits  of  this  singular  animal. 

" '  You  have  seen,'  said  I,  addressing  myself  to  Frank  and 
Harry.  '  that  it  is  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  although  broader 


146  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

and  fleshier  in  the  body,  lower  upon  the  limbs,  and  with  a 
sharper  and  more  elongated'  snout. 

"  '  You  have  seen  that  it  is  a  spotted  and  striped  animal — 
and  in  this  respect  it  also  resembles  the  cat,  as  these  spots 
and  stripes  are  different  upon  different  individuals  of  the 
same  species — so  much  so,  that  no  two  skunks  are  exactly 
alike. 

"  '  You  have  witnessed  the  efficient  means  with  which 
nature  has  armed  it  aganist  its  enemies  ;  and  I  shall  now 
tell  you  all  the  rest  that  is  known  of  its  habits. 

"  '  It  is  a  caf-nh'Of'Ous  creature — destroying  and  eating 
many  other  beings  that  have  life  as  well  as  itself.  For  this 
purpose.it  is  furnished  with  strong,  sharp  claws,  and  three 
kinds  of  teeth,  one  of  which — termed  canine,  or  tearing 
teeth — is  a  certain  symptom  of  its  being  a  carnivorous,  or 
flesh-eating  animal.  You  must  know,  that  the  shape  of  the 
teeth  will  always  tell  this.  Those  animals  that  feed  upon 
vegetables,  such  as  horses,  sheep,  rabbits,  and  deer,  have 
none  of  these  canine  teeth.  Well,  the  skunk  has  four  of 
them, — two  in  each  jaw,  and  very  sharp  ones,  too, — and 
with  these  he  kills  and  eats  (whenever  he  is  lucky  enough  to 
get  hold  of  them  )  rabbits,  poultry,  birds,  mice,  frogs,  and 
lizards.  He  is  very  fond  of  eggs,  too,  and  frequently  robs 
the  farmyard,  and  the  nests  of  the  ruffed  grouse  and  wild 
turkey — killing  these  birds  whenever  he  can  catch  them. 
The  killing,  however,  is  not  all  upon  his  side — as  the  wolf, 
the  horned  owl,  the  wolverene,  and  the  farmer,  in  their  turn, 
kill  him  whenever  they  can  catch  him.  He  is  not  by  any 
means  a  fast  runner,  and  his  safety  does  not  lie  in  his  swift- 
ness of  foot.  His  defensive  armor  is  found  in  the  fetid  ef- 
fluvia, which,  by  a  muscular  exertion,  he  is  capable  of  eject- 
ing upon  his  pursuer.  This  he  carries  in  two  small  sars 
that  lie  under  his  tail,  with  ducts  leading  outward  about  as 
large  as  the  tube  of  a  goosequill.  The  effluvia  itself  is  caused 
by  a  thin  fluid,  which  cannot  be  seen  in  daylight,  but  at 
night  appears,  when  first  ejected,  like  a  double  stream  of 
phosphoric  light.     He  can  throw  it  to  the  distance  of  live 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I47 

yards,  and  knowing  this,  he  always  waits  till  the  pursuer  has 
fairly  got  within  range — as  the  one  we  have  just  seen  did 
with  Castor  and  Pollux.  The  discharge  of  this  fluid  rarely 
fails  to  drive  off  such  enemies  as  wolves,  dogs,  and  men. 
Sometimes  it  occasions  sickness  and  vomiting  ;  and  it  is  said 
that  there  are  Indians  w^ho  have  lost  their  eyesight  from  in- 
flammation caused  by  it.  Dogs  are  frequently  swollen  and 
inflamed  for  weeks,  after  having  received  the  discharge  of  a 
skunk.  In  addition  to  the  disagreeableness  of  this  odor, 
there  is  no  getting  rid  of  it  after  the  fluid  has  once  been 
sprinkled  over  your  garments.  Clothes  may  be  washed  and 
buried  for  months,  but  it  will  still  cling  to  them ;  and  where 
a  skunk  has  been  killed,  the  spot  will  retain  the  scent  for 
many  months  after,  even  though  deep  snow  may  have  lain 
upon  it. 

" '  It  is  only  when  attacked  or  angered  that  the  animal 
sends  forth  his  offensive  fluid  ;  and  when  killed  suddenly, 
or  before  he  has  time  to  '  fire  it  off,'  nothing  of  the  kind  is 
perceived  upon  his  carcass. 

"  '  The  skunk  is  a  burrowing  animal,  and  in  cold  countries 
he  enters  his  hole,  and  sleeps  in  a  half  torpid  state  through- 
out the  winter.  In  warm  climates,  however,  he  continues 
to  prowl  about  all  the  year  round,  generally  at  night — as, 
like  most  predatory  creatures,  the  night  is  his  day.  In  his 
burrow,  which  runs  several  yards  underground,  he  lives,  in 
company  with  ten  or  a  dozen  of  his  companions.  The  female 
has  a  nest  in  one  part,  made  of  grass  and  leaves,  where  she 
brings  forth  her  young — having  from  five  to  nine  kittens  at 
a  birth. 

"  '  Strange  as  it  may  appear,  the  Indians,  as  well  as  many 
white  men, — hunters  and  others, — eat  the  flesh  of  this 
animal,  and  pronounce  it  both  savory  and  agreeable — equal, 
as  they  allege,  to  the  finest  roast  pig.  So  much  for  the 
skunk  and  his  habits.     Now  to  the  niaking  of  our  salt* " 


i4^  THE  DESERT   HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  SALT  SPRING. 

"  We  had  now  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  salt  creek ;  but 

as  we  saw  the  diff  close  by,  and  knew  that  we  must  be  near 
the  spring  which  supphed  this  httle  rivulet,  we  resolved 
to  travel  on  to  the  fountain-head.  A  few  hundred  yards 
farther  brought  us  to  the  spring,  and  it  was  well  worth  travel- 
ing a  little  farther  to  see. 

"  Near  the  bottom  of  the  cliff  were  several  round  objects, 
looking  like  half  globes,  or  bowls  turned  upon  their  mouths. 
They  were  of  a  whitish  color,  resembling  white  quartz  rock; 
and  of  all  sizes,  from  that  of  a  large  baking  oven  to  the  size 
of  a  wooden  dish.  In  the  top  of  each  there  was  a  round 
cavity, — like  a  little  crater  of  a  volcano, — and  in  this  the 
blue  water  bubbled  and  boiled  as  though  a  hot  fire  was  in 
the  ground  underneath  them.  There  were  in  all  nearly 
twenty  of  these,  but  many  of  them  were  without  the  crater- 
like cavit)^  in  the  top ;  and  through  the  latter,  of  course,  no 
water  escaped  to  the  creek.  They  were  old  ones,  that  hart 
ceased  to  run. 

"  It  was  evident  that  these  oven-looking  mounds  had  been 
formed  by  the  water  itself,  which  had  been  depositing  the 
sediment  that  formed  them  for  many,  many  years.  Arouna 
some  of  them  there  grew  beautiful  plants  and  shrubs,  whose 
leaves  and  flowers  hung  over,  trailing  in  the  water  ;  and  from 
the  cliff  above  long  vines  crept  out,  covered  with  gay,  scarlet 
blossoms.  Bushes  of  wild  currants  grew  all  around,  and  the 
fragrance  of  their  leaves  scented  the  air.  K  was  altogether 
a  sweet,  cool  spot,  and  filled  us  with  feelings  of  enjoyment. 

"  After  we  had  satisfied  our  curiosity  in  examining  these 
pbjectS;  we  prepared  to  make  our  salt.     Frank  and  Harry 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I49 

collected  armfuls  of  dry  wood  for  the  fire,  while  Cue' jo 
erected  a  crane  in  his  usual  fashion.  Upon  this  the  kctt'e 
was  suspended,  and  filled  with  crystal  water  out  of  one  of 
the  natural  basius.  The  fire  soon  blazed  under  it,  and  ve 
had  nothing  more  to  do  than  wait  until  the  evaporation  should 
be  completed  by  boiling. 

"  For  this  purpose,  we  chose  a  spot  where  the  ground  vr.s 
carpeted  with  a  soft,  green  turf,  and  upon  it  we  all  sat  down 
to  wait  the  result. 

"  I  need  not  say  that  in  this  we  had  a  deep  interest,  amour  t- 
ing,  in  truth,  to  anxiety.  It  might  not  be  salt,  after  all.  The 
water  tasted  salt — that  is  true.  But  so,  too,  would  water 
impregnated  by  the  muriate  of  magnesia  or  the  sulphate  of 
soda.  When  evaporated,  we  might  find  one  or  other  of 
these  substances. 

"  *  What  is  the  muriate  of  magnesia,  papa  ? '  inquired 
Frank. 

"  *  Perhaps  you  w^ould  know  it  better  by  the  name  of 
Epsom  salts !  '  rejoined  his  mother,  w^th  a  knowing  smile. 

"  *  Bah  ! '  returned  he,  with  a  grin  upon  his  face  ;  '1  hope 
it  won't  turn  out  that.  But  what  sort  of  thing  then,  is  the 
sulphate  of  soda  ? ' 

"  '  That  is  the  scientific  name  for  Glauber's  salts.' 

"  *  Worse  still  1  I  don't  think  we  stand  in  need  of  either. 
Do  we,  Harry  ?  * 

"  *  Not  a  bit  of  it,'  responded  Harry,  also  grinning  at  the 
thought  of  these  well-known  specifics.  *  I  would  rather  it 
should  turn  out  saltpetre  and  sulpher.  Then  we  could  make 
lots  of  gunpowder.' 

"  Harry  was  a  great  shot,  as  we  have  seen ;  and  one  of 
his  fears  was,  that  our  stock  of  powder  should  run  out. 

"  '  Do  not  wish  for  that,  Harr}','  said  his  mother.  '  Gun- 
powder we  can  do  very  well  without.  Let  us  hope  for  some- 
thing more  necessary  to  us  at  present.' 

"  With  such  like  conversation  we  passed  the  time  while 
we  watched  the  steaming  kettle  with  feelings  of  anxious  ex- 
pectation. 


150  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

"  For  myself,  I  had  some  reliance  upon  a  fact  which  I  had 
observed  years  before,  and  had  regarded  as  singular.  Tt 
was  this :  I  beheve  the  Creator  has  so  disposed  it,  that  salt 
so  essential  to  animal  life,  should  be  found  in  all  parts  oi 
the  globe,  either  in  rocks,  springs,  standing  lakes,  incrusta- 
tions, or  in  the  ocean  itself.  No  part  of  the  earth  of  great 
extent  is  without  it ;  and  I  had  noticed  in  the  interior  terri- 
tories of  the  American  continent — where  the  sea  was  too 
distant  to  be  visited  by  animals — that  nature  had  provided 
numerous  salt  springs,  or  '  licks,'  as  they  are  termed  in  the 
language  of  the  country.  These  springs  from  time  imme- 
morial have  been  the  meeting-place  of  the  wild  creatures  of 
the  forest  and  prairie,  who  resort  thither  to  drink  their  waters, 
or  lick  the  saline  soil  through  which  these  waters  run.  Hence 
their  common  name.  Here,  then,  was  a  valley,  whose  four- 
footed  inhabitants  never  roamed  beyond  its  borders.  I 
believed  that  nature  had  provided  for  their  wants  and  crav- 
ings by  giving  them  everything  necessary  to  their  existence, 
and  among  the  other  necessities  that  one  which  we  were  now 
in  search  of  ourselves — salt.  In  other  words,  but  that  this 
was  a  salt  spring,  or  there  existed  some  other  such  in  the 
valley,  these  creatures  would  not  have  been  found  within  it. 
I  took  the  opportunity  to  point  out  this  fact  to  my  boys,  as 
well  as  to  show  them  what  I  myself  clearly  recognized  in 
it — the  hand  of  the  Creator.  It  rendered  them  more  con- 
fident that,  when  we  had  evaporated  our  water,  we  should 
get  salt  for  our  pains. 

"  *  Papa,'  inquired  Frank,  who  was  a  great  naturalist,  *  I 
should  like  to  know  what  makes  this  little  rivulet  run   salt ,' 
water.' 

"  *  No  doubt,'  I  replied,  *  the  water  you  see  gushing  forth 
has  just  been  passing  among  vast  beds  of  rock  salt,  and  I:2S 
become  impregnated  with  it.' 

"  '  Rock  salt  1  and  is  the  salt  we  use  found  in  rocks  ? ' 

"  '  Not  all  of  it,  though  great  quantities  are.  There  are 
beds  of  rock  salt  found  in  many  countries — in  England,  and 
the  East  Indies,  in  Russia,  and  Hungary,  and  Spain ;  and 


nil-:  i)K.^l•:kl•   ii(.).Mii.  151 

it  has  also  been  discovered  in  vast  quantities  in  this  very 
desert  we  are  now  in.  These  beds  of  rock  salt,  when  worked 
to  supply  salt  to  people,  are  called  salt  mines.  The  most 
celebrated  are  in  Poland,  near  the  city  of  Cracow.  These 
have  been  worked  for  seven  hundred  years,  and  there  is 
enough  left  in  them  yet  to  supply  all  the  world  for  many 
centuries  to  come.  These  mines  are  said  to  be  very  beauti- 
ful, lit  up,  as  they  are,  by  numerous  lamps.  The  rock  has 
been  excavated  by  the  miners  into  all  sorts  of  shapes  ;  houses, 
chapels,  columns,  obelisks,  and  many  other  ornamental  forms 
of  buildings  have  been  made ;  and  these,  when  illuminated 
by  lamps  and  torches,  become  as  splendid  and  brilliant  as 
the  palaces  of  Aladdin.' 

" '  O,  I  should  like  so  much  to  see  them  1  '  cried  Harry,  in 
a  transport. 

" '  But,  papa,'  inquired  Frank,  who  always  sought  after  in- 
formation on  such  subjects,  '  I  never  saw  any  of  this  rock 
salt.  How  is  it  that  it  comes  to  us  always  crushed,  or  in 
great  bricks,  as  if  it  had  been  baked  ?  Do  they  break  it  fine 
before  it  is  sent  to  market  from  the  mines  ? ' 

"  *  In  some  of  these  mines,  nothing  more  is  required  than 
to  crush  the  rock ;  in  others,  however,  the  rock  is  not  pure 
salt,  but  mixed  with  other  substances,  as  oxide  of  iron  and 
clay.  In  these  cases,  it  is  first  dissolved  in  water,  to  separate 
it  from  such  impurities,  and  then  evaporated  back  again 
into  salt,  precisely  as  we  are  doing  now.' 

"  What  color  is  the  salt  rock,  papa  ? ' 

"  '  When  pure,  it  is  white ;  but  it  assumes  various  colors, 
according  to  what  substance  may  be  found  mixed  with  it. 
It  is  often  yellow,  and  flesh  colored,  and  blue.' 

"  *  How  pretty  it  must  be  1 '  exclaimed  Harry  ;  '  like  pre- 
cious stones,  I  declare.' 

"  '  Yes,  it  is  a  precious  stone,  rejoined  his  brother,  *  more 
precious,  I  take  it,  than  all  the  diamonds  in  the  world.  Is 
it  not,  papa  ? ' 

"  '  You  are  quite  right,'  I  replied.  '  Salt  rock  is  more 
valuable  to  the  human  race  than  diamonds,  though  they,  too, 


152  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

have  an  absolute  value,  besides  tlieir  value  as  an  ornament. 
There  are  some  important  uses  in  arts  and  manufactures  to 
which   they  can  be  applied." 

"  *  But,  papa,'  again  inquired  Frank,  determined  to  know 
everything  he  could  about  the  article  of  salt,  *  I  have  heard 
that  salt  is  made  of  sea  water.     Is  it  so  ? ' 

"  *  Vast  quantities  of  it.' 

"  *  How  is  it  made  ? ' 

"  *  There  are  three  ways  of  obtaining  it.  First,  in  warm 
climates,  where  the  sun  is  strong,  the  sea  water  is  collected 
into  shallow  pools,  and  there  left  until  it  is  evaporated  by 
the  sun's  rays.  The  ground  where  these  pools  are  made 
must  neither  be  muddy  nor  porous,  else  the  salt  would  get 
mixed  with  the  mud  and  sand.  Of  course,  the  people  who 
manufacture  it  in  this  way  take  care  to  choose  firm,  hard 
ground  for  the  bottom  of  their  pools.  There  are  sluices  at- 
tached to  these  pools,  by  which  any  water  that  will  not 
evaporate  is  drawn  off.  -  Salt  is  made  in  this  manner  in 
many  southern  countries — in  Spain  and  Portugal,  in  France, 
and  other  countries  that  lie  around  the  Mediterranean  ;  also 
in  India,  China,  Siam,  and  the  Island  of  Ceylon. 

*'  '  The  second  way  of  making  salt  from  sea  water  is  pre- 
cisely the  same  as  that  I  have  described — except  that,  in- 
stead of  these  artificial  pools,  the  evaporation  takes  place  in 
broad  tracts  of  country  over  which  the  sea  has  spread  in 
time  of  high  spring  tides.  When  the  sea  falls  again  to  its 
proper  level,  it  leaves  behind  it  a  quantity  of  water  in  these 
tracts,  which  is  evaporated  by  the  sun,  and  they  then  be- 
come fields  of  pure  salt.  Nothing  remains  to  be  done  but 
to  scrape  this  salt  into  heaps  and  cart  it  off ;  and  at  the  next 
spring  tide  a  fresh  influx  of  sea  water  produces  a  new  crop 
of  salt,  and  so  on.  This  kind  is  better  than  that  which  is 
made  in  the  artificial  pools — though  neither  of  them  is  equal 
to  the  salt  of  the  mines.  They  are  both  known  in  commerce 
under  the  name  of  '  bay  salt,'  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
♦rock  salt.'  Great  natural  beds  of  the  last  kind  described 
are  found  in  the  Cape  de  Verde  Islands,  also  in  Turk's 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  153 

Islan'^.  and  St.  Martin's,  in  the  West  Indies,  and  on  Kangaroo 
Island,  near  the  coast  of  Australia. 

" '  There  is  still  a  third  plan  of  making  salt  out  of  the  sea 
^'that  is,  by  boiling  the  water,  as  we  are  doing;  but  this 
makes  the  worst  of  all  salt,  and  it  is  far  more  expensive  for 
any  people  to  manufacture  salt  in  this  way  than  to  buy  it 
from  other  countries.  Indeed,  this  last  plan  would  never 
be  adopted,  were  it  not  that  some  foolish  governments  force 
their  people  to  pay  a  heavy  duty  for  importing  salt  into  their 
country,  which  makes  it  still  cheaper  for  them,  costly  as  it  is, 
to  manufacture  the  article  at  home.' 

"  What  makes  the  sea  salt,  papa  ? ' 

"  That  is  one  of  the  phenomena  about  which  naturalists 
have  a  difference  of  opinion.  Some  of  them  say  there  are 
vast  beds  of  salt  at  the  bottom  which  keep  the  water  always 
impregnated.  I  think  this  notion  is  very  childish ;  and  they 
who  hold  it  offer  only  childish  arguments  to  support  it. 
Others  assert  that  the  salt  water  of  the  ocean  is  a  primitive 
fluid — that  it  was  always  as  it  now  is ;  which,  you  will  per- 
ceive, is  giving  no  reason  at  all,  more  than  saying, '  It  is  salt, 
because  it  always  was  salt.  This  is  an  equally  irrational 
theory.  Others,  again,  believe  that  the  saltness  of  the 
ocean  is  caused  by  the  flowing  into  it  of  salt  rivers.  These 
last,  I  believe,  hold  the  true  opinion  ;  but,  unfortunately,  they 
have  failed,  as  far  as  I  know,  to  answer  the  objections 
which  have  been  raised  against  it.  Your  papa  has  reflected 
a  good  deal  upon  this  subject,  and  believes  that  he  can  ex- 
plain away  all  the  difficulties  that  oppose  this  last  theory. 
Probably  he  may  take  an  early  opportunity  of  doing  so  ;  but 
it  will  require  more  time  than  he  can  spare  at  present.' 

"  '  Is  the  sea  equally  salt  at  all  places  ? '  inquired  the  phi- 
losopher Frank,  after  a  short  pause,  during  which  he  had 
been  busily  reflecting  on  what  had  been  just  said.' 

'' '  No ;  it  is  more  so  at  the  equator  than  in  the  colder  re- 
gions around  the  poles.  It  is  less  salt  in  gulfs  and  inland 
seas  than  in  the  open  ocean.  This,  I  believe,  I  can  also 
explain  j  because  it  would  support  the  theory  regarding  the 


154 


THE   DESERT   HOME. 


rivers  of  which  we  have  just  spoken.  The  difference  of 
saltness  in  different  parts  ot  the  sea  is,  however,  very  trifling.* 

"  *  How  much  salt  is  there  in  the  sea  water  ? " 

"  *  Three  and,  half  per  cent,  nearly.  That  is,  if  you  boil 
down  one  hundred  pounds  of  sea  water,  it  will  yield  you 
about  three  pounds  and  a  half  of  salt.' 

"  '  But  are  there  not  many  lakes  and  brine  springs  that 
contain  a  far  greater  proportion  than  that  ■  " 

"  '  Many.  There  is  a  large  lake  lying  in  this  very  desert, 
to  the  north-west  of  where  we  are,  called  the  '  Great  Salt 
Lake.'  The  waters  of  that  lake  are  more  than  one  third 
pure  salt.  There  are  many  springs  and  rivers  that  contain 
a  greater  proportion  than  the  ocean  itself.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  our  own  little  creek  here  will  yield  better  than 
it.  But  come,  let  us  see  how  the  kettle  boils.  We  had 
almost  forgotten  it.' 

"  We  approached  our  kettle,  and  lifted  the  lid.  To  our 
great  joy,  a  scum  was  floating  on  the  -top,  very  much  like 
crystals  of  ice  forming  upon  melted  snow.  Some  of  it  was 
skimmed  off  and  applied  to  our  lips.  Joy  !  It  was  salt, — 
the  pure  juuriate  of  soda^ — equal  to  the  best  ever  shipped 
from  Turk's  Island." 


THE  DESERT  HOMfi.  S55 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  SNAKES, 

"  I  NEED  not  tell  you  that  the  announcement  was  received 

with  joyful  acclamations,  and  that  one  and  all  satisfiea  them- 
selves by  tasting  of  the  salt.  It  had  crystallized  into  small 
cubes,  as  salt  always  does ;  and  it  was  as  white  as  snow,  which 
proved  its  great  purity.  We  had  put  into  the  kettle — which 
was  a  large  camp  kettle — about  four  gallons  of  water,  and 
when  it  was  fully  evaporated,  we  obtained  not  less  than  ten 
pints  of  salt,  showing  that  the  water  of  our  spring  was  much 
more  saline  than  the  sea  itself. 

"  When  our  first  kettleful  was  disposed  of,  we  refilled  it 
with  water,  and  again  hung  it  over  the  fire.  We  also  hung 
another  vessel  beside  the  kettle ;  and  that  was  our  frying 
pan,  in  which  several  fine  steaks  of  venison,  seasoned  with 
the  new  salt,  were  cooked  for  our  dinners.  We  were  not 
unmindful  of  the  thank"  which  we  owed  to  God  for  giving 
us  this  munificent  supply  v._  "»-ticle  so  much  needed  by  us  ; 
and  as  soon  as  dinner  was  over,  my  wife  took  occasion  to 
bring  this  subject  pointedly  forward,  and  we  sat  for  some 
time  conversing  upon  it. 

"  All  at  once,  we  were  interrupted  by  a  series  of  curious 
incidents  which  took  place  within  sight  of  our  fire.  Our 
attention  was  first  drawn  to  them  by  hearing  loud  screams  at 
a  short  distance  from  us,  which  we  all  recognized  as  the  voice 
of  the  blue  jay.  There  is  nothing  unusual  in  hearing  this 
bird  screaming  half  the  day — for  it  is,  perhaps,  more  easily 
e'xcited  than  any  other  feathered  creature.  But,  if  you  have 
ever  noticed,  it  utters  a  very  peculiar  cry  when  there  is 
something  unusual  in  the  wind.  When  some  much-dreaded 
enemy  is  at  hand,  its  note  becomes  extremely  shrill  and  di» 


156  THE  DESERT  HOME. 

agreeable.  So  it  was  then  ;  and  for  that  reason  it  drew  my 
attention,  as  well  as  that  of  my  companions. 

"  We  looked  towards  the  spot  whence  the  cry  came.  We 
could  see  the  branches  of  a  low  tree  in  motion,  and  the 
beautiful  sky-blue  wings  of  the  bird  closing  and  spreading 
again  as  it  fluttered  through  them.  We  could  see  nothing 
else  upon  the  tree, — that  is,  no  enemy  of  the  binl, — nor  on 
any  of  the  trees  near  it.  On  lowering  our  eyes  to  the  ground, 
however,  we  perceived  at  once  what  had  set  the  jay  to  scold- 
ing. Slowly  drawing  itself  along  the  earth,  gliding  through 
the  grass  and  over  the  dry  leaves,  without  causing  even  the 
driest  of  them  to  rustle,  went  a  hideous  reptile — a  snake,  Its 
yellowish  body,  dappled  with  black  blotches,  glittered  as  the 
sun  glanced  from  its  lubricated  scales,  while  it  rose  and 
fell  in  wavy  undulations  as  it  moved.  It  moved  slowly — by 
vertical  sinuosities,  almost  in  a  direct  line,  with  its  head 
slightly  raised  from  the  grass.  At  intervals,  it  stopped, 
elevated  its  neck,  lowered  its  flat,  coffin-shaped  head,  like  a 
feeding  swan,  gently  oscillated  it  in  a  horizontal  direction, 
touched  the  crisp  leaves  with  its  red  tongue, — as  though  it 
w^i?,  feeling  for  a  trails — and  then  moved  on  again.  In  its 
frequent  pauses,  as  it  lay  stretched  along  the  ground,  it  ap- 
peared cylindrical,  as  long  as  the  tallest  man,  and,  as  thick 
as  a  man's  fore  arm.  Its  tail  ended  in  a  horny  appendage, 
about  a  foot  in  length,  and  resembling  a  string  of  large,  yellow- 
ish, ill-shaped  beads,  or  a  portion  of  its  own  vertebrae 
stripped  of  the  flesh.  This  peculiarity  told  us  its  species. 
We  saw  before  us  the  dreaded  rattlesnake — the  crctalus 
horridiis. 

"  My  companions  were  eager  to  rush  forward  and  at  once 
attack  the  monster.  I  restrained  them,  dogs  and  all.  I  had 
heard — who  has  not  ? — of  the  power  of  fascination  which 
these  reptiles  possess.  I  knew  not  whether  to  believe  or 
disbelieve  it.  Here  was  an  opportunity  to  test  its  truth. 
V/ould  't  charm  the  bird  ?  We  should  see.  One  and  all  of 
us  rem  ined  motionless  and  silent.     The  snake  crawled  on. 

"  7     \  bird  followed  overhead,  pitching  itself  from  branch 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  I57 

to  branch,  from  tree  to  tree,  screaming  with  open  throat. 
Neither  of  them  noticed  us,  as  we  were  partially  concealed 
where  we  sat. 

"  On  reaching  the  foot  of  a  tall  magnolia,  the  rattlesnake — 
after  going  once  round  the  tree,  and  apparently  smelling  T.he 
bark — slowly  and  carefully  wound  itself  into  a  spiral  coil, 
close,  in  to  the  trunk.  Its  body  now  presented  the  app^rdr- 
ance  of  a  speckled  and  glittering  cable,  as  they  are  usu.xily 
coiled  on  the  deck  of  a  ship.  The-  tail,  with  its  horny  ap- 
pendage, protruded  beneath,  and  the  flat  head  peeped  over 
above,  resting  upon  the  uppermost  ring  of  the  body.  The 
nictitating  membrane  was  drawn  over  its  eyes.  It  appe^ired 
to  sleep.  This  I  thought  strange,  as  I  had  heard  thav  the 
fascinating  power  of  these  creatures  lay  in  the  eyes.  It 
soon  became  evident,  however,  that  the  bird  was  not  it^^  ob- 
ject ;  for  the  latter,  on  seeing  that  the  snake  lay  still,  ct^ased 
its  chattering,  and  flew  off  into  the  woods. 

"  Believing  that  the  interest  of  the  scene  was  now  Over,  I 
was  about  raising  my  rifle  to  take  aim  at  the  snake,  w^xcn  a 
motion  on  its  part  convinced  me  that  it  was  not  asleej^,  but 
watching.  Watching  for  what  ?  A  squirrel,  perhaps,  t-jr 
this  is  its  favorite  prey.  I  looked  up  into  the  tree.  Ic  had 
all  the  appearance  of  being  what  is  termed  a  *  squirrel  tree ' 
— that  is,  a  tree  in  which  squirrels  have  their  hole  and  nest. 
Ha  1  just  as  I  expected  :  there  was  a  hole  in  the  trunk,  high 
up ;  and  around  its  orifice  the  bark  w^as  slightly  discolored, 
evidently  by  the  paws  of  the  squirrels  passing  in  and  out. 
Moreover,  on  looking  to  the  ground  again,  I  perceived  that 
a  little  beaten  path,  like  a  rat  track,  led  off  through  the  grass, 
A  ridge-like  protuberance  that  projected  from  the  foot  of  the 
tree — marking  the  direction  of  one  of  its  great  roots — ran 
right  into  this  path  ;  and,  from  the  discoloration  of  the  bark 
above  it,  it  was  evident  that  the  squirrels  usually  climbed  up  or 
descended  along  this  ridge.  The  rattlesnake  was  coiled  be- 
side it — so  close,  that  no  animal  could  pass  in  that  way  with- 
out coming  within  his  reach.  I  felt  certain,  then,  that  he  was 
waiting  for  the  descent  of  the  squirrel ;  and,  desirous  to  see 


158  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

what  should  happen,  I  muttered  some  words  of  cauti&j^  U 
my  companions,  who  remained  silent  as  before. 

"  We  sat  watching  the  hole,  expecting  every  moment  to 
see  the  squirrel  come  forth.  At  length,  the  little  rat-shaped 
head  peeped  cautiously  out ;  but  in  this  position  the  animal 
remained,  and  did  not  seem  inclined  to  trust  itself  beyond 
the  mouth  of  its  den.  It  was  evidently  observing  us, — 
which  it  could  easily  do,  from  its  elevated  position, — and  was 
not  intending  to  come  down. 

"  We  were  about  giving  up  all  hopes  of  witnessing  a  '  scene,' 
when  our  attention  was  drawn  to  a  rustling  among  the  dead 
leaves  in  the  woods  beyond.  We  looked  in  that  direction. 
A  squirrel  was  running  towards  the  tree.  It  was  running  at 
full  speed,7-now  along  the  fallen  logs,  now  through  the  grass 
and  dry  leaves, — apparently  pursued.  It  was  pursued  ;  for 
almost  at  the  same  instant  its  pursuer  came  in  sight — an 
animal  with  a  long,  slender  body,  twice  the  length  of  the 
squirrel  itself,  and  of  a  bright,  yellow  color.  It  was  the 
pine  weasel.  There  were  not  twenty  feet  between  them  as 
they  ran,  and  both  were  doing  their  best. 

"  I  cast  a  glance  at  the  rattlesnake.  He  knew  what  was 
coming.  His  jaws  were  extended, — the  lower  one  drawn 
back  until  it  touched  his  throat, — his  poisoned  fangs  were 
naked  and  visible ;  his  tongue  was  protruded  forward ;  his 
eyes  glanced  like  diamonds  ;  and  his  whole  body  rose  and 
fell,  as  with  a  quick  respiration.  He  seemed  to  have  dilated 
himself  to  twice  his  natural  size. 

''  The  squirrel,  looking  only  behind,  ran  for  the  tree,  and, 
like  a  streak  of  light,  passed  along  the  ridge  and  upward. 
We  saw  the  snake  launch  out  his  head,  as  the  other  passed 
him;  but  so  quick  had  been  the  action,  that  it  did  not  seem 
that  he  had  even  touched  it. 

"  '  Good  !  '  thought  we,  as  we  saw  the  quirrel  sweep  up 
the  trunk,  and  fancied  that  it  was  safe.  Before  it  had  reached 
the  first  fork,  however,  we  observed  that  it  climbed  more 
slowly — then  faltered — then  stopped  altogether.  Its  hind 
feet  slipped  from  the  bark ;  its  body   oscillated  a  moment, 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  I59 

hanging  by  the  fore  claws,  and  then  dropped  heavily  back 
into  the  very  jaws  of  the  serpent ! 

"  The  weasel,  on  seeing  the  snake,  had  suddenly  stopped 
a  few  feet  from  it,  and  now  ran  around,  doubling  its  /ong, 
worm-like  body,  and  occasionally  standing  erect — alk  the 
while  spitting  and  snarling,  like  an  ai>gry  cat.  It  was  evi- 
dently furious  at  being  robbed  of  its  prey  ;  and  we  thought 
for  a  while  it  was  gouig  to  give  battle  to  the  snake.  The 
latter  had  recoiled  himself  on  seeing  this  enemy,  and  lay 
with  open  jaws,  awaiting  the  attack.  The  body  of  the 
squirrel,  now  quite  dead,  v^as  close  up  to  his  coil,  so  that 
the  other  could  not  snatch  it  without  coming  within  reach  of 
his  dangerous  fangs. 

"  On  seeing  this,  and  evidently  afraid  to  encounter  such  a 
terrible  antagonist,  the  weasel,  after  a  while  ceased  its  hostile 
demonstrations ;  and,  turning  to  one  side,  bounded  off  into 
the  woods. 

"  The  reptile  now  leisurely  uncoiled  the  upper  half  of  his 
body,  and,  stretching  out  his  neck  towards  the  squirrel,  pre- 
pared to  swallow  it.  He  drew  the  latter  out  to  its  full  length 
along  the  ground,  so  that  its  head  lay  towards  him.  This 
he  purposed  to  swallow  first, — in  order  to  take  the  animal 
*  with  the  grain,* — and  he  now  commenced  lubricating  it  with 
the  saliva  that  ran  from  his  forked  tongue. 

"  While  we  sat  watching  this  curious  operation,  our  atten- 
tion was  attracted  to  a  movement  in  the  leaves  above  the 
spot  where  the  snake  lay.  Directly  over  him,  at  a  height  of 
twenty  or  more  feet,  a  huge  //a/ia,  of  the  trumpet  species, 
stretched  across  from  tree  to  tree.  It  was  full  as  thick  as  a 
man's  arm,  and  covered  with  green  leaves,  and  large,  crim- 
son, cuneiform  blossoms,  such  as  belonged  to  itself.  There 
were  other  blossoms  mingling  with  these,  for  still  other  para- 
sites— smaller  ones — were  twined  around  it,  and  we  could 
distinguish  the  beautiful,  starlike  flowers  of  the  cypress  vine. 
Among  these,  an  object  was  in  motion, — a  living  object, 
a  body, — the -body  of  a  great  snake,  nearly  as  thick  as».  liit 
liana  itself. 


l60  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

"Another  rattlesnake!  No  ;  the  rattlesnake  is  not-  a  tree 
climber — it  could  not  be  that.  Besides,  the  color  of  the  one 
upon  the  vine  was  entirely  different.  It  was  of  a  uniform 
black  all  over — smooth  and  glittering.  It  was  the  black 
snake,  then — the  *  constrictor  '  of  the  north. 

"  When  we  first  noticed  it,  it  was  wound  upon  the  liana 
in  spiral  rings,  like  the  worm  of  a  gigantic  screw.  We  saw 
that  it  was  slowly  gliding  downward — for  the  vine  tended 
diagonally  from  tree  to  tree,  and  its  lowest  end  impinged 
upon  the  trunk  of  the  magnolia,  about  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground. 

"  On  reaching  this  point,  the  snake  gradually  drew  its  rings 
closer  together,  until  they  appeared  to  touch  each  other,  lap- 
ping the  liana.  It  then  commenced  unwinding  itself  by  the 
head,  which  was  slowly  circled  backward  around  the  vine — 
still,  however,  creasing  closely  along  it.  After  a  sufficient 
number  of  evolutions,  the  rings  had  completely  disappeared, — - 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  near  the  tail, — and  the  reptile 
lay  doubled  along  the  liana.  These  maneuvers  it  had  ex- 
ecuted silently  and  with  great  caution ;  and  it  now  seemed 
to  pause,  and  survey  what  was  going  on  below. 

"  During  all  this  while,  the  rattlesnake  had  been  busily 
engaged  with  the  squirrel,  and  thought  of  nothing  else. 
A{ter  licking  the  latter  to  his  satisfaction,  he  extended  his 
purple  jaws,  drew  in  the  head  of  his  victim,  and,  stretching 
his  long  body  to  its  full  extent,  proceeded  to  swallow  it,  tail 
and  all.  In  a  few  seconds,  the  head  and  shoulders  of  the 
squirrel  had  disappeared. 

''  But  the  glutton  was  suddenly  interrupted  in  his  meal, 
for,  at  this  moment,  we  observed  the  black  snake  gradually 
lower  himself  from  the  liana,  until  nothing  remained  upon 
tlie  tree  but  a  single  loop  of  his  prehensile  tail ;  and  his  long 
body,  stretching  downwards,  hung  directly  over  the  other. 

"  *  Surely,'  thought  we,  '  he  is  not  going  to  encounter  the 
rattlesnake — the  most  terrible  of  all  reptiles.'  But  the  con- 
strictor understood  o?ie  chapter  of  herpetology  better  than 
we — for  the  next  moment  we  saw  him  drop  to  the  ground ; 


THE   TJttSERT   HOME,  l6l 

and,  almost  as  quick  as  thought,  he  appeared,  lapped  in 
sable  folds  around  the  speckled  body  of  the  '  crotalus  1  ' 

"  It  was  a  singular  sight  to  see  these  two  creatures  writh- 
ing and  wriggling  over  the  grass  ;  and  it  was  some  time  be- 
fore we  could  tell  how  they  battled  with  each  other.  There 
was  no  great  difference  between  them,  in  point  of  size.  The 
black  snake  was  longer, — by  a  foot  or  so, — but  much  more 
slender  in  the  body  than  his  antagonist.  He  possessed, 
however,  an  advantage  that  soon  made  itself  apparent — his 
activity,  which  was  ten  times  that  of  the  rattlesnake.  We 
saw  that  he  could  easily  evolve  or  wind  himself  at  pleasure 
around  the  body  of  the  latter,  each  time  compressing  him 
with  those  muscular  powers  which  have  entitled  him  to  his 
name — 'constrictor.'  At  each  fresh  embrace,  the  body  of 
the  *  crotalus  '  appeared  to  writhe  and  contract  under  the 
crushing  influence  of  his  sable  adversary. 

"  The  rattlesnake  had  but  one  weapon  which  he  could 
have  employed  with  effect — his  fangs.  These  were  already 
locked  in  the  body  of  the  squirrel,  and  he  could  not  use  them 
upon  his  adversary.  He  could  not  get  rid  of  that  hairy 
morsel,  that,  like  a  barbed  arrow,  now  stuck  in  his  throat. 
We  could  see  that  the  squirrel  still  remained  there,  for,  as 
the  two  reptiles  struggled  over  the  grass,  its  bushy  tail  was 
seen  waving  in  the  midst  of  their  tortuous  contest. 

"  At  length  the  battle  began  to  flag.  The  motions  of  both 
combatants  waxed  slower  and  slower.  We  could  now  see  how 
they  fought.  We  could  see — strange  it  appeared  to  us — 
that,  instead  of  battling  head  to  head, — face  to  face, — the 
fangs  of  the  '  constrictor  '  were  buried  in  the  rattles  of  the 
'  crotalus  !  "  Stranger  still,  the  tail  of  the  former  rose  and 
fell  with  a  muscular  and  powerful  impetus,  whipping  the 
latter  to  death ! 

"  The  contest  was  soon  ended.  Tlije  rattlesnake  lay 
stretched  at  full  length,  evidently  dead ;  while  the  black  con- 
strictor still  continued  to  hug  the  speckled  body,  as  though 
it  was  an  object  to  be  loved.  This  lasted  for  a  moment  or 
so ;  and  then,  slowly  unwinding  itself,  the  conqueror  turned 
II 


Jl63 


THE   DESERT    HOME. 


round,  crept  tbfoug^l  the  grass,  and  proceeded  to  appro- 
priate the  prey.  The  '  scene  '  was  over,  and  we  all  leaped 
to  our  feet  to  enatt  \\\*2:  finale. 

"  I  should  h?.ve  spared  the  constrictor,  after  the  good 
service  he  had  done  in  destroying  the  rattlesnake  ;  butCudjo, 
who  hated  all  'sorts  of  creeping  things,  was  ahead  of  me ; 
^nd,  before  \  could  come  up  I  beheld  the  victor  suspended 
upor  ^s  ^pJarl" 


THE    DEitRi    liO.\*K  163 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   SUGAR    TREE. 

"  In  the  erwiing,  we  returned  to  our  house,  carrying  with 
us,  on  the  back  of  Pompo  a  good  sized  bag  of  salt.  We 
had  evaporated  enough  to  cure  our  venison,  and  to  last  us  for 
several  weeks  to  come.  When  it  should  be  used  up,  we 
knew  where  to  go  for  more.  There  was  no  danger  of  the 
spring  going  dry.  We  had  noticed,  previous  to  the  dis- 
covery of  the  salt  creek,  that  the  water  of  the  lake  was  per- 
ceptibly brackish ;  but^we  had  never  reflected  on  the  cause. 
Doubtless,  this  fact  had  prevented  us  from  yearning — as  we 
might  otherwise  have  done — for  the  valuable  substance  we 
had  now  obtained  in  such  plenty. 

"  That  night,  after  we  had  finished  eating  our  suppers, 
Harry,  who  had  been  all  the  day  burning  with  curiosity  to 
know  what  was  the  important  discovery  hinted  at  by  his 
mother,  now  reminded  her  of  her  promise. 

"  '  Come,  now,  mamma  ! '  said  he,  in  a  challenging  tone, 
*  what  is  it  ?  What  have  you  found  equal  to  that  fine  bag 
of  salt,  which  you  will  all  please  to  remember  is  the  fruit  of 
my  discovery  ? ' 

"  '  But  did  I  promise  to  tell  you  to-night  ?  I  said  when  we 
should  be  in  low  spirits,  did  I  not  ?     We  are  all  happy  now.' 

"  O,  you  said  to-night,'  replied  Harry.  *  Besides,'  added 
he,  trying  to  look  grave,  *  I  am  in  low  spirits.  I  have  been 
so  all  day — ever  since — ever  since — ' 

"  'Ever  since  you  let  the  kettle  against  my  shins,  and 
went  skunk  hunting,'  interrupted  Frank,  with  a  laugh,  in 
ifvliich  Cudjo  joined  heartily. 

"  This  allusion  to  Harry's  morning  adventure,  which  had 
formed  the  standing  joke  of  the  day,  was  not  at  all  relished 


164  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

by  him ;  and  the  look  of  mock  gravity  which  he  had  assumed 
now  became  real.  His  mother — with  whom  Harry  was  a 
favorite-  -noticed  that  he  was  vexed,  and  that  now  was  the 
very  time  to  apply  the  remedy.  She  soon,  therefore,  changed 
the  current  of  his  thoughts,  by  proposing  to  disclose  the 
secret  she  had  promised. 

"  '  Well,  then,'  said  she,  *  my  discovery  is  this  :  While  we 
were  going  up  the  valley  this  morning,  I  saw  at  some  distance 
over  the  woods  the  top  leaves  of  a  very  beautiful  and  very 
valuable  tree.' 

"  '  A  tree  ! '  cried  Harry ;  what  1  a  cocoanut  ?  * 

"  '  No.' 

"  '  A  bread  fruit,  may  be  ? ' 

"  '  No.' 

"  '  Orange,  then  ? ' 

"  '  No,  Harry,'  replied  his  mother.  *  You  must  know  we 
are  not  in  that  latitude.  We  are  too  far  north  for  either 
bread  fruits,  orange  trees,  or  cocoanut  palms.' 

"  *  Ah  I '  exclaimed  Harry,  with  a  sigh,  '  those  three  are 
the  only  trees  I  care  a  fig  for.' 

"  '  How,  now,  if  it  were  a  fig  tree,  since  you  speak  of  figs  ? ' 

"  '  O,  very  well,'  replied  Harry  ;  <  figs  will  do  ;  but  I  would 
rather  it  had  been  one  of  the  others.' 

*' '  But  it  is  not  even  a  fig  tree.' 

"  '  O,  it  is  not.     What  then,  mamma  ? 

"  '  That  of  which  I  speak  is  a  tree  of  the  temperate  zone ; 
and,  in  fact,  grows  to  greatest  perfection  in  the  coldest  parts 
of  it.  Have  you  noticed  any  tall,  straight  trees,  with  thick 
foliage  of  a  bright,  red  color  ?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  mamma,'  answered  Frank ;  *  I  have.  I  know  a 
part  of  the  valley  where  there  are  many  of  them — some  of 
them  nearly  crimson,  while  other  are  orange  colored.' 

"  '  That  is  the  tree  of  which  I  speak.  The  leaves  are  now 
of  those  colors  because  it  is  autumn.  Earlier  in  the  season 
they  were  of  a  bright  green  above,  and  whitish,  or,  as  it  is 
termed,  glaucous,  on  the  under  surface.* 

♦*  •  Q,*  said  H«^rry,  seemingly  disappointed  with  this  in* 


lilE    DESERT    HOME.  I65 

torniation.  *  1  have  noticed  them,  too.  They  are  very 
beautiful  trees,  it  is  true  ;  but  then — ' 

"  '  Then,  what  ?  ' 

"  *  They  are  of  no  use  to  us — such  big  trees  as  they  are. 
There  is  no  fruit  upon  them,  for  I  looked  carefully;  and 
what  then  ?  We  do  not  need  their  timber,  I'm  sure.  We 
have  as  good  timber  as  we  want  in  these  tulip  trees.' 

"  Come,  Master  Hal — not  so  fast,  if  you  please.  There 
are  many  parts  of  a  tree  which  may  serve  for  valuable  uses 
besides  its  fruit,  or  its  timber  either.' 

" '  What  1  the  leaves  ? '  inquired  the  impatient  Harry. 
*  What  use  can  we  make  of  leaves  ? ' 

"  '  Come,  master,'  said  Frank,  in  an  improving  tone  ;  *  the 
leaves  of  some  trees  are  very  valuable.  What  think  you  of 
the  tea  plant,  for  instance  ? ' 

"  Harry  felt  rebuked,  and  remained  silent. 

" '  We  can  make  no  use  of  the  leaves  of  this  tree,'  con- 
tinued his  mother  ;  '  at  least,  none  that  I  am  aware  of.' 

"  '  The  bark,  then  ? '  interrogated  Harry. 

"  ^  No ;  not  the  bark  either.' 

"  *  The  roots  ? ' 

"  *  I  know  of  no  peculi-ar  virtue  in  its  roots  more  than 
those  of  the  oak,  ash,  or  any  other  large  timber  trees.' 

"  '  What  then,  mamma  ?  It  has  no  flowers,  I  a«i  sure  ; 
nor  fruit  neither,  except  little  seeds,  with  wings  upon  them 
like  a  spider  fly.' 

"  *  Those  are  its  fruit.' 

"  '  O  1  What  use  could  we  make  of  them  ?  I  have  seen 
just  the  same,  or  very  like  them,  growing  on  the  common 
sycamore  tree.' 

"  '  You  are  right  there  ;  for  the  common  sycamore,  as  you 
call  it,  is  a  tree  of  the  same  family.  But  I  did  not  say  we 
could  make  any  use  of  these  winged  seeds.  Can  you  think 
»>f  nothing  else  that  belongs  to  every  tree  ? 

"  '  Nothing  1     Let  me  see  ;  yes — yes — the  sap  ?  * 

"  '  Ha  1  the  sap  1 '  repeated  his  mother,  with  a  peculiar  em- 
phasis. 


l66  THE    DKSKRl-    HOME. 

"  *  What,  mother  !  '  cried  Frank  ;  *  a  maple  ?  ' 
"  <  Yes  1  a  stcgar  jnaple  !  Now,  Master  Hal  ! ' 
"  These  words  produced  a  startling  effect  upon  the  whole 
company.  Frank  and  his  brother  had  both  heard  of  the 
famous  sugar  maple,  though  neither  of  them  had  ever  seen 
it.  The  younger  members,  Mary  and  Luisa,  knew  nothing 
about  maples,  but  the  word  '•  sugar  '  was  more  familiar  to 
them ;  and  that,  in  connection  with  the  joyous  looks  of  the 
others,  at  once  produced  visions  of  sweetmeats  and  candy. 
Cudjo,  too,  who  had  never  met  with  the  sugar  maple,  as  it 
did  not  grow  in  that  part  where  Cudjo  was  himself  indige- 
nous, nevertheless  liked  sugar  as  well  as  any  of  them,  and 
greeted  the  announcement  with  delight.  Nothing  was  heard 
tor  some  moments  but  cries  of  joy  mingled  with  the  words 
'  sugar  '  and  '  sugar  maple.  Greater  is  the  longing  which 
children,  or  even  men  experience  for  that  which  is  difficult 
\Q  obtain ;  and  greater  is  the  delight  that  is  felt  upon  the 
^respect  of  obtaining  it. 

"  After  the  transport  of  our  little  circle  had  in  some  de- 
gree subsided,  Mary  proceeded  to  explain  to  them  the  nature 
of  this  remarkable  tree. 

"  '  The  sugar  maple,'  said  she,  *  you  may  easily  distin- 
guish from  other  trees;  by  its '  light-colored  bark,  and  pal- 
mate, five-lobed  leaves,  which,  in  summer,  are  of  a  bright, 
green  color,  but  in  autumn  change,  as  you  see,  to  crimson  or 
orange.  It  somewhat  resembles  the  English  oak  in  its  trunk, 
branches,  and  the  great  mass  of  foliage  which  it  carries.  Its 
wood  is  very  heavy,  and  is  often  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
beautiful  articles  of  furniture,  as  well  as  for  ships,  mills,  and 
other  mechanical  purposes.  But  the  principal  value  of  this 
tree  is  found  in  its  sap ;  and  by  the  mysterious  but  always 
wise  distribution  of  nature,  it  seems  to  have  been  given  to 
the  people  of  the  temperate  and  colder  latitudes,  in  place  of 
the  sugar-cane,  which,  as  you  know,  flourishes  only  in  hot 
and  tropical  countries. 

"  ♦  Each  maple,'  continued  my  wife,  *  will  yield  annually 
from  three  to  four  pounds  of  excellent  sugar ;  but  to  do  this. 


It  biiould  be  tapped  early  in  the  spring,  for  the  sap  does  not 
run  in  the  summer  or  winter.  It  runs,  however,  in  the  au- 
tumn, though  not  so  freely  as  in  spring ;  but  we  must  hope 
that  we  shall  be  able  to  draw  as  much  from  ours  as  will 
supply  us  until  spring  comes  round  again.' 

"  '  But,  mamma,'  broke  in  the  inquisitive  Harry,  '  when  and 
how  shall  we  get  the  sap  .'* ' 

"  '  I  suppose,  Harry,  you  wish  for  separate  answers  to 
these  two  questions  which  you  have  put  so  closely  together. 
Well,  then  our  best  time  to  draw  it  will  be  after  the  very 
first  frost  which  makes  its  appearance.  It  had  been  found 
that  the  sap  runs  best  when  the  nights  are  clear  and  cold, 
and  the  days  dry  and  warm. 

"  '  The  manner  of  extracting  the  sap,  and  .the  process  of 
making  the  sugar,  are  both  very  simple.  In  the  first  place, 
we  must  make  a  great  many  little  troughs — one  for  every 
tree  we  intend  to  tap.  These  are  used  to  supply  the  place 
of  vessels  which  of  course  we  have  not  got.  The  farmers 
of  the  United  States,  who  make  maple  sugar,  also  use  these 
troughs — as  they  will  often  have  several  hundred  trees  run- 
ning at  the  same  time,  and  it  would  be  rather  expensive  for 
a  backwoodsman  to  supply  himself  with  so  many  vessels 
from  either  the  potter,  the  tinman,  or  the  cooper.  But  the 
troughs,  which  are  easily  made,  answer  the  purpose  just  as 
well ;  and  Cudjo  here  is  able  to  make  them  for  us. 

"  '  After  the  troughs,  nothing  more  is  needed  except  a  few 
joints  of  the  cane  which  grows  all  around  us.  An  auger 
hole  must  be  bored  in  each  of  the  trees,  about  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  Into  each  of  these  holes  a  single  tube  of 
cane  must  be  inserted,  simply  to  form  a  spout  that  may  con- 
duct  the  running  sap  into  the  troughs  below.  We  shall 
then  have  nothing  further  to  do,  but  wait  while  the  sap 
gathers  in  the  troughs,  collect  it  into  our  kettle,  and  boil  it 
over  the  fire  in  the  the  same  manner  as  we  did  the  salt. 

"  '  Now,  Master  Harry,'  concluded  my  wdfe,  '  be  patient. 
Hope  for  an  early  frost,  and  you  shall  have  a  practical 
illustration  of  all  these  things.'  „. 


l68  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

"  Harry  had  not  long  to  wait.  Upon  the  third  night  after, 
a  sHght  hoarfrost  covered  the  ground,  and  the  day  following 
was  bright  and  warm.  This  was  the  very  time  to  tap  the 
maples,  and  so  we  set  about  it. 

" '  Cudjo  had  already  prepared  the  troughs — more  than 
twenty  of  them  in  all.  These  he  made  in  the  usual  manner. 
He  cut  the  trunks  of  several  tulip  trees — those  that  were 
about  twelve  inches  in  diameter — into  logs  of  three  feet 
each.  These  logs  he  split  into  two  equal  parts,  and  hollowed 
out  the  split  sides  with  his  chisel  and  mallet — thus  forming 
a  rude  vessel,  but  quite  good  enough  for  the  purpose  of  hold 
ing  the  sap.  The  cane  tubes  were  also  ready,  and  proceed- 
ing to  the  trees, — all  of  us  together, — we  bored  a  hole  in 
each  with  our  auger,  fitted  in  the  cane  joints,  and  propped 
the  troughs  underneath.  In  a  short  time,  the  crystal  liquid 
began  to  drip  from  the  end  of  the  spouts,  and  then  it  ran 
faster  and  faster,  until  a  small,  clear  stream  fell  into  the 
troughs.  The  first  that  issued  forth  we  caught  in  our  cups, 
as  the  sugar  water  is  most  delicious  to  drink  ;  and  it  seemed 
as  if  our  little  people,  particularly  Mary  and  Luisa,  would 
never  say  *  enough.'  Harry,  too  was  as  fond  of  it  as  they ; 
and  was  heard  to  declare  that  the  sugar  maple  was  the  finest 
tree  of  the  forest,  and  quite  a  match  for  either  bread-fruits, 
oranges,  or  cocoa  palms.  We  had  brought  the  large  kettle  ; 
and  a  fire  was  soon  kindled,  and  a  crane  erected — just  as 
we  had  done  when  making  our  salt.  In  a  few  hours  the 
kettle  was  filled  with  sap,  and  boiling  over  the  fire. 

"  Each  of  us  had  now  our  separate  duty  to  perform.  Cudjo. 
with  his  bucket,  went  from  tree  to  tree,  collecting  the  sap  as 
it  gathered  in  the  troughs,  while  Mary  and  I  kept  up  the  fire, 
and  looked  to  the  ladling.  When  a  kettle  of  the  water  was 
sufficiently  boiled  down,  it  was  necessary  to  pour  it  out  into 
small  vessels,  that  the  sugar  might  crystallize  by  cooling. 
For  this  purpose  we  used  all  our  plates,  dishes,  and  cupSo 
As  soon  as  it  cooled  it  became  hard  as  a  brick,  and  of  a  very 
dark  color.  It  was  then  removed  from  the  small  vessels, 
and  a  fresh  quantity  poured^  into  them.     That  part  of  the 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  169 

sap  which  would  not  crystallize  was  carefully  strained  from 
the  vessels,  and  became  molasses ;  and  these,  let  me  tell 
you,  are  much  finer  than  the  molasses  that  are  made  from 
the  sugar  cane — much  richer  in  color,  and  pleasanter  to  the 
palate. 

"  Frank  and  Harry  had  their  part  to  perform — which  was 
to  walk  about,  rifle  in  hand,  and  guard  the  troughs.  This 
was  an  important  matter,  for  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  wolves, 
raccoons,  badgers,  opossums,  and  in  short  every  animal,  wild 
or  tame,  will  drink  the  sap  of  the  sugar  maple,  and  are  so 
fond  of  it  that  they  will  risk  their  lives  to  get  at  it.  As  the 
trees  we  had  opened  stood  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
each  other,  our  two  little  sentries  were  kept  constantly  re- 
lieving one  another  upon  their  rounds. 

"  The  sap  continued  to  run  for  several  days  ;  and,  ot 
course,  we  were  kept  busy  during  all  that  time.  Had  it 
been  in  the  spring-time,  we  should  have  been  employed  for 
weeks  at  it,  as  it  then  runs  longer  and  more  freely.  We 
were  favored  with  a  smart  frost  every  night,  which  was  a 
fortunate  circumstance,  as  the  water  did  not  gather  during 
the  cold  hours  of  the  night — otherwise  we  should  have 
found  it  impossible  to  guard  the  wild  animals  from  our 
troughs. 

"  All  these  nights  we  slept  by  the  fire,  where  we  had 
made  a  regular  camp,  as  is  usual  in  the  backwoods  of 
America.  We  only  went  to  the  house  when  it  was  necessary 
to  get  some  article  that  was  needed.  We  had  put  up  a  little 
tent,  made  out  of  our  old  wagon  tilt,  to  cover  us;  and  the 
place  we  called  by  the  name  which  is  in  use  among  the 
backwoods'  farmers — that  is  to  say,  a  '  sugar  camp.'  We 
found  this  out-of-door  life  very  exciting  and  agreeable,  camp- 
ing thus  in  the  thick,  shady  woods,  with  the  great,  majestic 
trees  towering  around  us ;  listening  at  times  to  the  light 
breeze,  as  it  rustled  their  golden  leaves;  or  lulled  into  a 
pleasing  tranquillity  by  the  songs  of  a  thousand  birds.  At 
night,  however,  the  music  was  not  so  sweet  to  our  ears, 
Then  we  heard  the  barking  oi  wolves,  the  mournful  *  cog- 


lyo 


THE    DESERT    HOME. 


whoo-a '  of  the  great  horned  owl,  and  the  still  more  terrify, 
ing  scream  of  the  cougar.  l]ut  we  kept  up  a  crackling, 
blazing  fire  all  the  night,  and  ^YC  knew  that  this  would  keep 
these  fierce  creatures  at  bay. 

"  At  length  our  work  was  done.  The  sugar  water  flowed 
each  hour  more  slowly,  and  then  ceased  altogether  ;  and  we 
broke  up  our  camp.  When  we  had  returned  to  our  house, 
and  collected  our  many-shaped  loaves, — for  they  were  of  all 
iorms,  according  to  the  vessels, — we  found  that  all  together 
weighed  nearly  a  hundred  pounds  !  This  would  be  enough 
for  all  our  wants — at  least,  until  the  spring,  when  we  pur- 
posed returning  again  to  our  grand  storehouse  among  sugar 
maples." 


THE    DtSLRT    HOAIB.  X^I 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  STUMP  TREE  AND  THE  BREAD  PINE. 

"  That  evening,  as  we  sat  around  the  supper  table,  my 
wife  announced  that  the  last  grain  of  our  coffee  was  in  the 
pot.  This  was  sad  news  to  all  of  us.  Of  the  little  luxuries 
that  we  had  brought  with  us  from  St.  Louis,  our  coffee  had 
held  out  longest ;  and  a  cup  of  this  aromatic  beverage 
had  often  cheered  us  during  our  toilsome  journey  across 
the  prairie  desert.  Often,  too,  since  our  arrival  in  the  valley, 
had  it  given  a  relish  to  our  homely  meal. 

" '  Well,  then,'  said  I,  by  way  of  reply  to  the  announce- 
ment, '  we  must  learn  to  do  without  it.  We  have  now  the 
materials  for  making  soup  ;  what  care  we  for  coffee  ?  How 
many  poor  people  would  be  glad  to  be  surrounded  with 
luxuries  as  we  are  !  Here  we  have  venison  of  different 
kinds  ;  we  can  have  beavers'  tails  whenever  we  want  them. 
There  are  fish,  too,  in  the  lake  and  stream ;  there  are  hares 
and  squirrels,  which  we  shall  trap  in  abundance,  by  and  by ; 
and,  in  addition  to  all,  we  shall  dine  often  upon  ruffed  grouse 
and  roast  turkey.  I  wonder,  with  ail  these  luxuries  around 
us,  who  is  not  content  ? ' 

"  '  But,  papa,'  said  Harry,  taking  up  the  discourse,  "  in 
Virginia,  I  have  often  seen  our  black  folks  make  coffee  out 
of  Indian  corn.  It  is  not  bad,  I  assure  you.  I  have  drank 
it  there,  and  thought  it  very  good.     Have  not  you,  Cudjo  ? ' 

*• '  Dat  berry  coffee  dis  chile  hab  drunk,  Massa  Harry.' 

"  '  Now,  papa  ? ' 

"  '  Well,  Harry,  what  of  it  ? ' 

"  '  Why  should  we  not  use  that — the  Indian  corn  I  mean — ■ 
tor  coffee  ?  ' 

"  '  Why,  Harry,'  said  I,  '  you  surely  do  not  reflect  upon 


172  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

what  you  are  talking  about.  We  have  a  far  worse  want  than 
coffee,  and  that  is  this  very  Indian  corn  to  make  bread  of. 
Could  I  only  get  a  supply  of  that,  I  should  think  very  little 
about  coffee  or  any  other  beverage.  Unfortunately,  there  is 
not  a  grain  of  corn  within  many  a  hundred  miles  of  where 
we  are  now  sitting.' 

"  '  But  there  is,  papa ;  I  know  where  there  is  at  least  a  quart 
of  it ;  and  within  less  than  a  hundred  yards  of  us,  too.' 

"  '  Come,'  said  I,  '  my  boy,  you  have  mistaken  some  useless 
seed  for  corn.     No  corn  grows  in  this  valley,  I  am  certain.' 

'"  '  It  did  not  grow  in  this  valley.  It  has  traveled  all  the 
way  from  St.  Louis  along  with  us.     It  is  now  in  the  wagon.' 

"'What!  corn  in  the  wagon  ? '  I  exclaimed,  starting  up 
with  such  vehemence  as  to  frighten  my  children.  '  Are  you 
sure  of  that,  Harry  ? ' 

"  '  I  saw  it  this  very  morning,  in  one  of  the  old  bags,'  re- 
plied he. 

"  '  Come  !  '  cried  I ;  *  get  a  torch,  Cudjo.  To  the  wagon  I 
to  the  wagon  ! ' 

"  In  a  short  time  we  had  reached  the  wagon,  which  stood 
close  to  the  door.  With  a  beating  heart,  I  climbed  into  it. 
There  was  an  old,  worn-out  buffalo  robe,  with  the  harness  of 
the  ox,  lying  upon  the  bottom.  I  flung  these  aside,  and,  un- 
derneath, I  saw  a  coarse  gunny  bag,  such  as  are  used  in  the 
Western  States  for  holding  Indian  corn.  I  knew  that  it  was 
one  of  those  we  had  brought  with  us  from  St.  Louis,  con- 
taining corn  for  our  horse  and  oxen ;  but  I  was  under  the 
impression  that  I  had  emptied  out  the  last  of  it  long  before. 
I  took  the  bag  up,  and,  to  my  inexpressible  delight,  found 
that  it  still  contained  a  small  quantity  of  the  precious  grain : 
besides,  there  was  still  more  of  it,  that  had  been  spilled  from 
time  to  time,  and  had  got  into  the  corners  and  cracks  of  the 
wagon.  These  we  collected  carefully,  and  put  with  the  rest 
— not  leaving  a  single  grain  that  we  did  not  scrape  out  from 
the  cracks.  Then,  carrying  my  bag  into  the  house,  I  turned 
out  its  contents  upon  the  table.  To  our  great  joy,  there  was, 
'*■  Harry  had  affirmed,  nearly  a  quart  of  the  golden  grain. 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  1 73 

"  '  Now,'  said  I,  '  we  shall  have  bread.' 

"  This  was  a  glad  sight  to  my  wife.  During  the  preced- 
ing days,  we  had  frequently  talked  upon  this  subject, — the 
want  of  bread, — which  is  one  of  our  first  necessities.  We 
lived  in  hope  that  we  should  find  some  species  of  cereal  in 
the  valley  that  would  supply  us  with  a  substitute  for  bread ; 
but,  up  to  that  time,  nothing  of  the  kind  had  appeared.  We 
had  gathered  the  mast  from  the  beach  tree,  and  roasted  it ; 
we  had  collected  quantities  of  locust  pods  and  acorns ;  we 
had  also  eaten  the  pulpy  fruit  of  the  pawpaw  ;  but  all  these 
together  we  found  to  be  but  poor  apologies  for  real  bread. 
This,  then,  was  a  discovery  of  far  greater  importance  to  us 
than  either  the  salt  or  the  sugar. 

"  The  winter,  in  the  latitude  of  our  valley,  would  be  a  short 
one.  We  could  then  plant  the  corn — there  was  enough  of  it 
to  plant  a  whole  acre.  It  would  come  to  maturity  in  six  or 
eight  weeks  ;  and  we  knew  that  in  such  a  climate  we  could 
easily  raise  two  crops  in  the  year — so  that,  before  the  next 
winter  came  round,  we  should  have  enough  and  to  spare. 

"  While  we  stood  by  the  table,  talking  over  these  pleasant 
prospects,  one  of  the  boys — Frank  it  was — suddenly  shouted 
out,  '  Wheat !  wheat  1  ' 

"  I  looked  down,  to  ascertain  what  he  meant.  He  had 
been  turning  over  the  yellow  seeds  of  the  maize  and,  among 
them,  had  discovered  several  grains  of  wheat.  No  doubt 
there  had  been  wheat  in  the  bag  before  the  com  had  been 
put  into  it ;  arid  this  was  soon  confirmed,  as,  on  carefully 
searching  the  bag,  we  found  several  of  the  precious  prickles 
still  dinging  between  the  seams.  After  separating  the  one 
species  from  the  other  with  great  carefulness, — for  we  did 
not  wish  to  lose  a  single  seed, — we  found  that  our  grains  of 
wheat  counted  exactly  one  hundred.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a 
small  quantity  to  go  a  farming  with  ;  but  we  remembered  the 
old  saying,  '  Great  oaks  grow  from  little  acorns,'  and  we 
knew  the  importance  of  these  small,  gray  seeds.  In  a  couple 
of  years  we  should  have  large  crops  of  wheat. 

"  *  You  see,'  said  I,  addressing  my  little  family,  *  how  kind 


174  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

Providence  has  been  to  us.  Here,  in  the  middle  ot  the 
desert,  has  he  furnished  us  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life ; 
and  now,  with  a  little  patience,  we  may  promise  ourselves 
many  of  its  luxuries — for  what  can  mamma  not  make  out  of 
iiour  and  sugar  ? ' 

"  '  O,  everything  ! '  cried  Frank,  who  had  grown  enthu- 
siastic at  the  prospect  of  farming,  for  he  was  fond  of  agri- 
cultural pursuits  ;  '  we  can  have  venison  pasties  with  our 
flour.' 

"  *  And  fruit  pies,'  added  Harry  ;  '  there  are  plenty  of  fruits. 
I  have  found  wild  plums,  and  cherries,  and  mulberries  as 
long  as  my  finger,  and  whortleberries,  too.  What  delicious 
puddings  we  can  make !  ' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  I ;  '  now  shall  we  care  for  coffee  ? ' 

"  '  No,  no ! '  cried  Frank  and  Harry  in  a  breath. 

"  '  Then  you  shall  have  it,'  said  their  mother  with  a  smile 
of  peculiar  meaning. 

"  '  What !  mother  ? '  exclaimed  Harry ;  *  another  tree  ? ' 

"*Yes,  indeed,  another.' 

*' '  Not  a  coffee  plant  ? ' 

*' '  No  ;  but  a  coffee  tree.' 

"  '  A  coffee  tree  !  Why  I  thought,  mamma,  that  they 
never  grew,  except  in  the  hottest  parts  of  the  tropics.' 

"  '  That  is  true  enough  of  the  small  tree  or  shrub  which 
produces  the  coffee  you  have  been  accustomed  to  drink; 
but  not  far  from  us  there  is  a  very  large  tree,  whose  seed 
will  give  us  a  very  palatable  substitute.  Here  is  a  specimen 
of  it.' 

"  So  saying,  she  threw  down  upon  the  table  a  large  brown 
pod, — of  at  least  twelve  inches  in  length  by  two  in  breadth, 
■ — exactly  the  shape  of  a  crescent  or  young  moon.  It  re- 
minded us  of  the  pods  of  the  locust,  though  differing  con- 
siderably in  shape.  Like  them,  too,  when  opened, — which 
was  forthwith  done, — it  was  seen  to  contain  a  pulpy  sub- 
stance, in  which  several  large,  gray-colored  seeds  were 
embedded.  These  seeds,  she  informed  us,  when  parched, 
ground,  and   boiled,  after   the  manner  of  the  true  coffee, 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  17$ 

would  afford  us  a  beverage  nearly  as  good,  and  quite  as 
wholesome, 

"  '  The  tree,'  said  she.  '  from  which  I  have  plucked  this 
pod,  grows  in  most  parts  of  America.  You  may  have  ob- 
served it  here  ? ' 

" '  I  have,'  interrupted  Harry.  '  Now  that  mamma  has 
shown  us  the  use  of  the  maples,  I  have  been  looking  partic- 
ularly at  all  the  trees ;  since  I  find  that  some  of  them  that 
appeared  scarce  worthy  of  notice,  may,  after  all,  be  very 
interesting.' 

"'I  have  observed  the  tree,'  added  Frank,  who  was  some- 
thing of  a  botanist  as  well  as  his  mother.  '  I  noticed  that  its 
bark  is  very  rough,  dropping  off  here  and  there  in  large, 
curling  scales.  The  branches,  too,  are  very  odd  looking  ; 
they  have  blunt,  stumpy  ends,  that  give  the  tree  a  clumsy 
appearance.     Is  it  not  so,  mamma  ? ' 

"  '  Precisely  as  you  say.  Hence  its  name  of  "  chicot  " 
among  the  Canadian  French,  and  "stump  tree  "in  the 
United  States.  Its  botanical  name  \s  gynmodadns,  which 
means,  "  with  naked  branches ; "  for  during  the  winter,  as 
you  shall  find,  it  will  present  a  very  naked  appearance.  It 
is  also  known  as  the  "  Kentucky  coffee  tree,"  because  the 
early  pioneers  and  settlers  of  that  country,  when  they  were 
unable  to  obtain  the  true  coffee,  made  use  of  its  seeds,  as  we 
intend  doing.' 

"  '  O  ! '  cried  Harry  ;  '  only  think  of  it — sugar  and  coffee, 
and  salt,  and  plenty  of  meat,  and  roast  turkey — everything 
but  bread.  If  we  only  had  bread  1  Would  our  corn  not 
grow  if  we  planted  it  now,  papa  ? ' 

"  '  No ;  the  frost  would  kill  the  young  plants.  We  must 
have  patience  until  spring.' 

"  *  It  is  a  long  time  till  spring,'  said  Harry,  with  rather  a 
dis()ontented  air ;  '  and  then  we  must  wait  much  longer  while 
the  corn  is  growing.     It  is  a  very  long  time  to  wait.' 

"  *  Come,  Master  Hal,'  rejoined  his  mother,  *  I  fear  yow 
are  one  of  those  who  cannot  be  satisfied,  no  matter  how 
mar  y  blessings   are   heaped    upon  them.     Remember   how 


176  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

many  are  worse  off  than  yourself — how  many  are  without 
bread,  even  where  it  is  plentiest.  No  doubt,  at  this  moment, 
many  a  hungry  boy  in  the  streets  of  wealthy  London  is 
standing  by  the  baker's  window,  and  gazing  at  the  crisp 
loaves,  with  no  more  chance  to  eat  one  of  them  than  you 
have.  He  is  worse  off  than  you.  You  have  other  food, — 
plenty  of  it, — he  has  none  ;  and,  moreover,  his  hunger  i? 
rendered  more  acute  and  painful  by  the  sight  of  the  tempt- 
ing food — separated  from  his  hand  only  by  a  pane  of  glass, 
poor  boy !  that  pane  of  glass  is  to  him  a  wall  of  adamant. 
Think  upon  this,  my  son,  and  learn  to  be  contented.' 

•' '  Indeed,  I  am  so  mamma,'  repHed  Harry,  with  a  look  of 
contrition.  I  did  not  mean  to  complain.  I  was  only  think- 
ing how  nice  it  would  be  to  have  bread,  now  that  we  have 
got  both  sugar  and  coffee.' 

"  '  Ah  1  now,  my  good  Harry,'  said  his  mother,  '  since  I 
find  you  in  the  proper  spirit,  I  think  I  must  tell  you  about 
another  curious  and  useful  tree,  of  which,  perhaps,  you  have 
ijot  heard.' 

"*A  bread-fruit  now,  I'm  sure?  No,  it  cannot  be  that; 
for  I  have  heard  of  the  bread-fruit.' 

"  '  Still,  it  might  very  appropriately  be  called  a  bread- 
fruit, since,  during  the  long  winter  months,  it  furnishes  bread 
to  many  tribes  of  Indians  ;  indeed,  not  bread  alone,  but  sub- 
sistence— as  it  is  the  only  food  these  improvident  people 
have.' 

"  '  I  am  sure  I  have  never  heard  of  that  tree.' 

" '  Well,  I  imagine  not,  as  it  is  not  long  since  it  was  dis- 
covered and  described  by  botanists ;  and  even  now  it  is  but 
imperfectly  known  to  them.     It  is  a  pine.' 

"  '  What !  a  pine  with  fruit  ? ' 

"  *  Did  you  ever  see  a  pine  without  it — that  is,  in  the 
proper  season  ? ' 

"  '  Then  you  call  those  cone-shaped  things  fruit  ? ' 

"  *  Certainly  ;  what  else  should  they  be  ? ' 

"  *  O,  I  thought  those  were  the  seed.' 

"  *  So  are  they,  and  the  fruit  as  well.     In  botany,  we  have 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  T77 

flo  such  word  as  fruit.  What  you  call  fruit  is  in  some  trees 
the  seed.  In  all  species  of  nuts,  for  instance,  the  fruit  and 
the  seed  are  one  a»d  the  same  thing — that  is  to  say,  the 
kernel  of  the  nut  is  both  fruit  and  seed.  So  it  is  with  legu- 
minous plants,  as  beans  and  peas.  In  other  trees,  however, 
the  fruit  is  a  substance  covering  and  enclosing  the  seed,  as 
the  pulp  of  the  apple,  the  pear,  and  the  orange.  Now,  with 
regard  to  the  pines,  they  are  nut-bearing  trees,  and  their 
seed  is  at  the  same  time  their  fruit.' 

"  *  But,  mamma,  you  do  not  mean  that  any  one  could  eat 
those  rough  things  that  grow  upon  pine  trees  ?  * 

"  '  Those  rough  things  you  speak  of  are  the  cones.  They 
are  only  the  sheaths  that  protect  the  seeds  during  a  certain 
period  of  the  year.  They  open  as  nuts  do,  and  then  you 
will  find  a  kernel  inside,  which  is  the  true  fruit.' 

"  '  But  I  have  tasted  that,  too ;  it  is  quite  bitter.' 

"  '  You  have  tasted  that  of  the  common  pine,  and  you  say 
true  of  it ;  but  there  are  many  species  of  pine  trees,  whose 
seeds  are  not  only  edible,  but  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and 
wholesome  as  an  article  of  food.' 

"  '  What  pines,  mamma  ? ' 

" '  Several  species  are  known.  Several  new  ones  have 
been  discovered  of  late  years,  and  in  this  very  desert.  Per- 
haps in  no  part  of  the  world  is  found  a  greater  variety  of 
these  valuable  trees  than  in  the  mountainous  countries  which 
border  upon  and  lie  within  the  Great  American  Desert. 
There  is  one  species  in  California,  called  "  Colorado"  by  the 
Spaniards — which  means  red^  because  their  wood,  wlien 
sawed  up,  is  of  a  reddish  color.  Trees  of  this  kind  are  the 
largest  in  the  world ;  they  are  often  over  three  hundred  feet 
in  height !  Only  think  of  a  tree  three  hundred  feet  high, 
when  the  tallest  we  saw  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  was  rot 
much  over  half  that.  Yet  there  are  whole  forests  of  these 
upon  the  mountains  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  There  is  another 
species  almost  as  large  on  these  same  mountains.  It  has 
been  called  by  botanists  pmus  Lambertiana.  It  is  more  re- 
markable, however,  for  the  size  of  its  cones,  which  are  of  the 


178  IIIK    DESK. HI-    HUME. 

enormous  length  of  eighteen  inches — a  foot  nnd  a  half! 
Fanc}  how  singular  a  sight  it  must  be — one  of  these  gigantic 
trees,  with  cones  hanging  from  its  branches  larger  than 
sugar  loaves  I  * 

"  '  O,  beautiful  indeed  ! '  exclaimed  Frank  and  Harry  at 
the  same  time. 

"  *  But,  mamma,'  added  Frank,  '  are  these  the  sort  that 
are  eaten  by  the  Indians  ? ' 

" '  Their  seeds  are  also  fit  to  eat,  and  in  times  of  great 
distress  the  Indians  and  others  resort  to  them  for  food ;  but 
it  is  not  of  them  I  intended  to  speak.  It  is  of  another  kind 
very  distinct  from  either,  and  yet  growing  in  the  same  region. 
It  is  a  small  tree,  rarely  seen  of  more  than  thirty  or  forty 
feet  in  height,  and  with  leaves  or  needles  of  a  much  lighter 
green  than  the  generality  of  pines.  Its  cones  are  not  larger 
than  those  of  the  common  sort ;  but  tlie  seed  or  kernel  is 
oily,  like  the  American  walnut,  and  quite  as  agreeable  in 
flavor.  They  cannot  be  otherwise  than  nutritious,  since,  as 
I  have  said,  they  form  the  whole  subsistence  of  many  people 
for  months  in  the  year.  They  can  be  eaten  raw ;  but  the 
Indians  usually  roast  them.  When  roasted  or  parched,  and 
.then  ground  in  a  mill,  or  broken  in  a  mortar,  they  make  a 
species  of  meal,  which,  though  coarse  in  appearance,  can  be 
baked  into  sweet  and  wholesome  bread.  This  tree  is  called 
by  the  Mexicans  "  pinon,'  and  also  by  travelers  the  "  nut 
pine."  The  only  botanist  who  has  fairly  described  it  has 
given  it  the  name  oipinus  jnonophyllus.  Perhaps  as  good  a 
name  as  any,  and  certainly  the  most  appropriate, — I  mean, 
for  its  popular  name, — would  be  the  "  bread  pine."  ' 

"  <  But,  mamma,  does  this  tree  grow  in  our  valley?  We 
have  not  seen  it.' 

"  *  Not  in  the  valley,  I  think ;  but  I  have  hopes  that  we 
may  lind  it  on  the  mountain.  The  day  we  came  around  the 
latter,  I  thought  I  saw  a  strange,  species  of  pine  growing  up 
in  the  ravines.  It  might  be  this  ver}'  one  ;  and  I  am  the 
more  inclined  to  think  so  as  I  have  heard  that  it  grows  on 
the  Rocky  Mountains, — within  the  latitudes  of  Is'ew  Mexico, 


i 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  1 79 

—and  also  on  all  the  sierras  that  lie  between  them  and  the 
Pacific.  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  find  it  upon 
our  mountain,  which  is,  no  doubt,  a  sort  of  outlying  peak  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  themselves.' 

"  '  O,  then,'  said  Harry,  '  shall  we  not  go  up  to  the  moun- 
tain, and  see  about  it  ?  An  excursion  to  the  mountain  would 
be  so  very  pleasant.     Don't  you  think  so,  papa  ? ' 

"  '  I  do,  indeed,'  I  replied ;  *  and  as  soon  as  we  can  make 
a  cart  for  Pompo,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  mannna  and  the 
children  along  with  us,  we  shall  go  there.' 

"  This  proposal  was  hailed  with  delight,  as  all  wished  very 
much  to  visit  the  beautiful  mountain  that  rose  so  majestic- 
ally above  us.  It  was  settled,  then,  that  on  the  first  fine  day, 
as  soon  as  our  cart  was  constructed,  we  should  set  forth;, 
and  make  a  grand  picnic  to  the  mountain." 


l8o  THE    DESERT    HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

THE  SNOW  LINE. 

"  In  three  days  the  cart  was  finished.  We  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  constructing  one,  as  the  principal  part — that  is,  the 
wheels — was  already  made.  We  had  two  pair  of  them,  of 
course,  in  our  old  wagon  ;  and  the  larger  ones,  which  hap- 
pened to  be  in  very  good  order,  served  our  purpose  exactl}'. 
Cudjo  soon  attached  a  body  and  shafts  to  them,  andPompo's 
harness  was  put  into  thorough  repair. 

"  We  had  not  long  to  wait  for  a  fine  day.  Every  day  was 
fine  in  the  clear,  pure  climate  of  our  valley ;  sd  that  as  soon 
as  the  cart  was  ready,  we  had  a  day  to  our  liking.  We  set 
out  shortly  after  sunrise,  with  our  hearts  full  of  anticipated 
pleasure.  Of  course,  we  all  went — Mary,  the  children, 
Cudjo,  Pompo,  dogs,  and  all.  The  house  was  again  left 
to  take  care  of  itself. 

"  Mary  and  the  two  little  ones  rode  in  the  cart,  upon  a 
soft  seat  made  of  palmetto  leaves  and  Spanish  moss.  Pompo, 
who  appeared  to  partake  of  the  general  happiness,  whisked 
the  vehicle  along  as  if  there  had  been  nobody  in  it,  and  he 
was  only  drawing  it  for  his  own  amusement.  Cudjo  cracked 
his  great  wagon  whip,  and  every  now  and  then  uttered  a 
loud  *  Wo-ha ; '  while  Castor  and  Pollux  galloped  gaily  from 
side  to  side,  running  their  noses  into  every  bush  that  grew 
along  the  path. 

"  We  soon  made  our  way  through  the  valley,  and  climbed 
up  to  the  plain.  We  looked  once  more  upon  the  desert  that 
stretched  away  on  all  sides ;  but  its  dreary  aspect  no  longer 
filled  us  with  fear.  We  did  not  regard  it  now,  and  the  sight 
inspired  us  with  feelings  of  curiosity  and  novelty  rather  than 
qI  ierrpr.     Away  to  the  southward,  the  sun  was  glancing 


THE    DESERr    HOME.  iSl 

.SjOn  the  broad  expanse  of  whit',  sand  ;  and  several  tall  ob- 
jects, like  vast,  dun-colored  towers,  were  moving  over  the 
plain.  They  were  whirlwinds,  carrying  the  dust  upward  to 
the  blue  sky,  and  spinning  it  from  pomt  to  point.  Some- 
times one  glided  away  alone,  until  it  was  lost  on  the  distant 
horizon.  Here  two  of  them  were  moving  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, keeping  a  regular  distance  from  each  other,  and  seem- 
ingly running  a  race.  There  several  came  together ;  and 
after  a  short,  gusty  contest,  the  whole  set  would  break  up 
into  shapeless  masses  of  yellowish  clouds,  and  then  float  on- 
Avard  with  the  wind,  and  downward  to  the  earth  again.  It 
was  an  interesting  sight  to  view  those  huge  pillars  towering 
up  to  the  heavens,  and  whirling  like  unearthly  objects  over 
the  wide  plain.  It  was  indeed  an  interesting  sight ;  and  we 
remained  for  many  minutes  observing  their  motions. 

"  At  length  we  turned  our  faces  towards  the  mountain, 
and  continued  our  journey  along  the  edge  of  the  cliffs.  The 
high  peak  glistened  before  us,  and  the  sun's  rays  falling  upon 
it,  caused  it  to  appear  of  a  beautiful  color — a  mixture  of 
gold  and  red,  as  though  a  shower  of  roses  had  fallen  upon 
the  snow  I  We  noticed  that  there  was  now  more  snow  upon 
the  mountain  than  when  we  had  first  seen  it,  and  that  it  came 
farther  down  its  sides.  This  attracted  the  attention  of  all 
of  us ;  and  Frank  at  once  called  for  an  explanation,  which  his 
mother  volunteered  to  give,  for  she  very  well  understood  the 
phenomenon. 

"  *  In  the  first  place,'  said  she,  *  as  you  ascend  upward  in 
the  atmosphere,  it  becomes  thinner  and  colder.  Beyond  a 
certain  point,  it  is  so  cold  that  neither  men  nor  any  other 
animals  can  exist.  This  can  be  proved  in  several  ways ;  and 
the  experience  of  those  who  have  climbed  mountains  only 
three  miles  high  confirms  it.  Some  of  these  adventurous 
men  have  been  nearly  frozen  to  death.  This  is  a  fact,  then, 
in  regard  to  the  atmosphere  over  all  parts  of  the  earth ;  but 
we  may  also  observe,  that  near  the  equator  you  may  go 
higher,  without  reaching  this  extreme  cold,  than  in  the  coun- 
tries which  lie  nearer  to  the  poles.     Another  fact,  which  you 


l62  IHE    DESERr    HUME. 

will  easily  believe,  is,  that  in  summer  j^ou  can  climb  higher 
before  you  reach  the  cold  region  than  in  winter.  Bear  these 
facts  in  mind.  Now,  then,  if  it  be  so  cold  at  a  certain  height 
that  men  would  be  frozen  to  death,  of  course,  at  that  height 
snow  will  not  melt.  What  is  the  natural  inference  ?  Why, 
that  mountains  whose  tops  pierce  up  into  this  cold  region 
will  most  certainly  be  covered  with  perpetual  snow.  It  is 
not  likely  that  anything  but  snow  ever  falls  upon  their  sum- 
mits ;  for  when  it  rains  upon  the  plains  around  them,  it  is 
snowing  upon  the  high  peaks  above.  Indeed  it  is  probable 
that  most  of  the  rain  which  descends  upon  the  earth  has  been 
crystals  of  snow  when  it  commenced  its  descent ;  and,  after- 
wards melting  in  the  lower  and  warmer  regions  of  the  atmos- 
phere, takes  the  shape  of  water  globules,  and  thus  falls  to 
the  ground.  These  globules,  no  doubt,  are  very  small  when 
they  first  emerge  from  the  snow  region,  but  as  they  pass 
slowly  downward  through  clouds  of  vapor,  they  gather 
together  and  attract  others,  (by  a  law  which  I  have 
not  time  to  explain,)  and,  descending  faster  and  faster,  at 
length  plash  down  to  the  earth  in  large  drops.  Whenever 
it  rains,  then,  at  any  particular  place,  you  may  be  almost 
certain  that  it  is  snowing  at  the  same  time  over  that  place — 
only  at  a  point  in  the  atmosphere  far  above  it.  I  have  been 
convinced  of  this  fact,  by  observing  that,  immediately  after 
every  occasion  when  it  has  rained  in  the  valley,  there  ap- 
peared a  gr  ter  ;uantity  of  snov/  upon  the  mountain.  Had 
the  mountain  n  t  been  there,  this  snow  would  have  continued 
on  and  become  r  in,  like  that  which  fell  upon  the  plains  and 
into  the  valley.' 

"  *  Then,  mamma,'  interrupted  Frank,  '  this  mountain 
must  be  of  great  height,  since  the  snow  lies  upon  it  all  the 
year.' 

"  *  Does  that  follow  ?  ' 

"  *  I  think  so.  You  said  the  snow  did  not  melt  because 
it  was  cold  high  up.' 

"  *  But  suppose  you  were  in  a  country  near  the  north  pole, 
where  snow  lies  all  the  year  at  the  very  seaside,  and  con.^.e- 


THE    DESERT    HOMK.  iS,, 

quently  at  the  sea  le;  .1;  would  it  then  prove  a  mountain  t-^ 
be  very  high  ? ' 

" '  O  1  I  see — I  see  now.  The  perpetual  snow  upon  a 
mountain  only  shows  it  to  be  of  great  height  when  the 
mountain  happens  t^  be  in  warm  latitudes.' 

"  '  Precisely  so.  In  very  warm  countries,  such  as  those 
within  the  tropics,  when  you  see  the  snow  cap  upon  a 
mountain,  you  may  infer  that  it  Is  a  very  high  one — at  least, 
over  two  miles  in  height ;  and  \-hcn  :hore  i  much  snow  upon 
it, — that  is,  when  the  snow  reac!ies  far  down  its  sides, — it 
proves  the  mountain  to  be  still  higher — three  miles  or  more 
above  the  level  .  f  the  ocean.' 

'' '  Our  mou:  tain,  then,  ma  t  b  a  high  one  ;  since  It  i:  in 
a  warm  latitu  e,  and  sno  '  'ies  all  the  y:ar  upon  it.' 

•"  It  is  .  -igh  o-^^,  "  m.parativdy  sp.aking,  but  y^u  will 
remember,  ./hen  we  firct  saw  It,  '  liere  was  only  ..  small  patch 
of  snow  upon  ics  top  na  prrbably  in  Very  hot  summers  that 
disappears  altogtht^r .;  so  th:.t  it  is  not  so  hi'-h  as  many 
others  upon  this  condn  ;nt.  T  king  our  latitude  into  cal- 
culation, anu  the  c^uantity  of  snow  which  li  s  upon  this 
mountain,  I  should  say  it  was  about  fourteen  thousand 
ieet.' 

"'01  so  much  as  th  t  ?  It  does  not  seem  half  so  high. 
i  have  seen  mountcans  that  appeared  to  me  tr  be  ^uite  as 
high  r.s  i:,  r.nc!  yet  it  was  said  they  did  n  t  measure  the  half 
of  fourteen  tho  iLa-.i.  feet.' 

"  Thr.t  arises  f  o:n  the  fact  th.it  you  are  not  viewing  this 
one  from  the  pea  1  vel,  as  you  did  them.  The  plain  upon 
•which  it  stands,  an^  from  wl  *ch  we  view  it,  is  of  itself  ele- 
vated nearly  half  as  muc'  .  Yoa  must  remember  that  we  are 
upon  one  of  the  high  tables  of  the  American  continent.' 

"  Here,  for  a  minute  or  so,  the  conversation  stopped  ;  and 
we  traveled  on  in  silence,  all  o  us  with  our  eyes  fixed  on  the 
white  and  roseate  p^ak  that  gli  tered  before  us,  leading  our 
eyes  far  up  into  the  heavens. 

"  Frank  again  resumed  the  discourse,  which  had  been 
broken  off  by  our  admiration  of  this  beautiful  object. 


184  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

**  *  Is  it  not  curious,'  said  he,  *  that  the  snow  should  He  so 
regularly,  coming  down  on  all  sides  to  the  same  height,  and 
ending  just  like  the  cape  of  a  coat,  or  the  hem  of  a  nightcap  ? 
It  seems  to  be  a  straight  line  all  around  the  mountain.' 

"  *  That  line,'  rejoined  his  mother,  '  is,  as  you  say,  a  curi- 
ous phenomenon,  and  caused  by  the  laws  of  heat  and  cold, 
which  we  have  just  been  explaining.  .It  is  called  the  "  snow 
line,"  and  a  good  deal  of  speculation  has  arisen  among  cos- 
mographers  about  the  elevation  of  this  line.  Of  course,  on 
mountains  within  the  tropics,  this  line  will  be  at  great  height 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  As  you  advance  northward  or 
southward  to  the  poles,  it  will  be  found  lower  and  lower,  un- 
til within  the  frigid  z,ones  it  may  be  said  to  cease  altogether 
— for  there,  as  we  have  said,  snow  covers  the  whole  earth, 
and  there  can  be  no  *'  snow  line." 

"  '  From  this,  one  would  suppose  that  an  exact  scale  might 
be  formed,  giving  the  elevation  of  the  snow  line  for  all  lati- 
ti-des.  But  that  could  not  be  done.  Observation  has  shown 
that  it  not  only  differs  on  mountains  that  lie  in  the  same  lati- 
tude, but  that  on  the  same  mountain  it  is  often  higher  on  one 
siae  than  the  other — particularly  on  those  of  great  extent, 
as  the  Himalayas  of  India.  This  is  all  quite  natural,  and 
easily  accounted  for.  The  position  of  mountains  to  one 
another,  and  their  proximity  or  great  distance  from  the  sea, 
will  give  them  a  colder  or  warmer  atmosphere,  independent 
of  latitude.  Moreover,  the  same  mountain  may  have  a 
warmer  climate  on  one  side  than  the  other ;  and  of  course 
the  snow  line  will  be  higher  on  that  side  which  is  the  warmer, 
in  consequence  of  the  greater  melting  of  the  snow.  This 
line,  too,  varies  in  summer  and  winter  for  a  like  reason — as 
we  see  here  upon  our  own  mountain,  where  it  has  already 
descended  several  feet  since  the  weather  has  become  colder. 
This,  you  will  acknowledge,  is  all  very  plain  ;  and  you  will 
see,  too,  that  nature,  although  apparently  capricious  in  many 
of  her  operations,  acts  most  regularly  in  this  one,  as  perhaps 
in  all  others.' 

"  '  But,  mamma,'  inquired  Harry,  '  can  w^e  not  get  to  the 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  185 

top  of  the  mountain  ?  I  should  Hke  to  have  some  snow  to 
make  snowbalis,  and  pelt  PYank  with  them.' 

"  *  It  would  be  a  very  difficult  task,  Master  Hal ;  and  more 
than  either  you  or  I  could  get  through  with.  I  think  Frank 
will  escape  being  snowballed  this  time.' 

"  *  But  people  have  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Himalaya 
Mountains ;  and  they  are  far  higher  than  this,  I  am  sure.' 

"  *  Never,'  interrupted  Frank  ;  '  no  one  has  ever  climbed 
the  Himalayas.     Have  they,  mamma  ? ' 

"  '  No  mortal  has  ever  been  so  high  as  the  summits  of 
those  great  mountains,  which  are  more  than  five  miles  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean.  Even  could  they  be  climbed,  it  is 
not  likely  that  any  animal  could  live  at  their  top.  These  in- 
accessible things  seem  to  have  been  designed  by  the  Creator 
to  afford  us  objects  for  sublime  contemplation — objects  far 
above  the  reach  of  mortal  man,  and  that  can  never  be  ren-i 
dered  common  by  his  contact.     Do  they  not  seem  so  ? ' 

"  We  had  now  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and, 
halting  near  the  entrance  of  the  ravine^  we  loosed  Pompo 
from  his  cart,  and  rested  ourselves  on  the  banks  of  the 
little  stream.  After  a  while,  we  commenced  ascending 
up  into  the  defile  in  search  of  the  pinons.  As  we  advanced, 
Mary  pointed  out  the  trees  which  she  had  noticed  on  a 
former  occasion.  They  appeared  of  a  light,  green  color, 
much  lighter  than  others  that  grew  near  them.  We  made  to- 
wards one  which  stood  apart,  and  was  most  accessible  to  us. 
This  we  hoped  might  prove  to  be  the  bread  pine  tree ;  and 
we  approached  it  with  feelings  of  anxiety  and  expectation. 

"  In  a  short  time  we  were  under  its  branches,  and  if 
we  had  had  no  other  test  than  what  we  saw  there,  combined 
\yith  the  delicious  fragrance  of  the  tree,  we  could  have  told 
that  it  could  be  no  other  than  the  pifion.  The  ground  was 
covered  with  cones,  each  of  them  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  length ;  but,  on  examining  them,  we  found  them  all 
broken  open,  and  the  seed  extracted.  Some  animal  had 
been  there  before  us,  and  relished  their  contents — thus  afford- 
ing a  proof  that  they  were  good  to  eat.     There  were  stiU 


l86  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

many  of  the  cones  hanging  on  the  tree,  and  it  was  not  long 
until  we  had  split  some  of  them  open  and  tasted  their  ripe, 
seeds. 

"  *  It  is  it  1 '  cried  my  wife,  clapping  her  hands  with  deiight,' 
*  It  is  the  nut  pine  !  This  will  serve  for  bread  until  we  can 
grow  our  wheat  and  corn.  Come,  let  us  gather  them,'  added 
she,  pointing  to  a  large  grove  of  the  same  trees  that  grew  at 
a  short  distance  ;  and  we  all  hurried  to  the  grove,  and  com- 
menced shaking  down  the  cones,  and  gathering  them  into 
heaps. 

"  We  had  soon  collected  as  many  as  we  wanted,  and  in 
the  evening  we  returned  to  the  valley,  with  our  little 
cart  half  full  of  pine  nuts.  On  reaching  home,  these  were 
parched,  and  pounded  into  a  sort  of  coarse  meal ;  and  that 
night,  for  the  first  time  during  many  weeks  we  had  cakes  to 
our  supper,** 


tH£   DESERT   HOME.  l6j 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  MENAGERIE,  AVIARY,  AND  BOTANIC   GARDEN. 

"  We  were  busy,  of  course,  every  day,  as  we  had  plenty  of 
work  to  do.  We  laid  a  floor  in  our  cabin,  and  fenced  a 
couple  of  fields — one  to  plant  our  corn  in,  and  the  other  to 
keep  Pompo  from  straying  off  into  the  woods  and  meeting 
with  some  animal  that  might  feel  inclined  to  devour  him. 
We  also  succeeded  in  killing  several  red  deer  and  a  couple 
of  elk,  which  we  stored  up  for  our  winter  provision.  We  did 
not  find  the  blacktails  very  palatable,  and  most  of  their  flesh 
went  to  feed  Castor  and  Pollux. 

"  Cudjo  was  the  busiest  of  all  of  us.  He  made  several 
household  utensils,  which  proved  of  great  service  to  us.  He 
also  constructed  for  himself  a  wooden  plow,  which  would 
serve  every  purpose — as  there  was  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  ground  that  was  without  turf,  and  could  be  easily 
turned.  This  part  had  been  covered  with  beautiful  flowers 
such  as  sunflowers,  red  and  orange-colored  poppies,  and 
asclepias.     It  was  almost  a  pity  to  plow  them  up. 

"  With  an  eye  to  the  future  scarcity  of  our  ammunition, 
we  had  begun  to  practise  hunting  with  a  weapon  which 
would  answer  all  our  purposes  almost  as  well  as  the  rifle — 
still  keeping  the  latter,  of  course,  for  great  occasions.  We 
had  found  some  of  the  do/s  iVarc^  or  '  Osage  orange,'  as  it 
is  called,  growing  in  the  valley.  This  is  the  famous  bow- 
wood  of  the  Indians  ;  and,  taking  a  hint  from  these  children 
of  nature,  we  made  three  bows,  stringing  them — as  the 
Indians  do — with  the  sinews  of  the  deer.  For  arrows  we 
had  the  straight  cane  reeds  ;  and  Cudjo  made  us  a  set  of 
barbs  out  of  iron  spikes  that  we  had  taken  from  the  wagon. 
With  daily  practising  at  a  mark,  before  the  winter  was  over. 


l88  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

we  were  all  three  nble  to  use  our  new  weapons  to  some  pur- 
pose;  and  Harry,  to  his  mother's  great  deHght,  could  bring 
down  a  squirrel  from  the  top  of  the  highest  tree  in  the  valley. 
As  a  marksman,  both  with  the  bow  and  rifle,  he  was  quite 
superior  to  Frank,  who,  instead  of  feeling  jealous,  seemed 
rather  to  be  proud  of  the  skill  of  his  brother.  Harry,  during 
all  the  winter,  kept  our  table  loaded  with  partridges,  squirrels, 
— of  which  there  were  several  species, — hares,  and  wild 
turkeys-;  the  last  of  which,  being  much  finer  than  tame  ones, 
of  course  we  w^ere  all  very  fond  of. 

"  My  wife,  too,  added  largely  to  the  delicacies  of  our 
table.  During  the  last  days  of  autumn,  she  made  several 
botanical  excursions, — of  course  all  of  us  accompanying 
her  by  way  of  guard, — and  in  each  of  these  some  useful 
production  was  discovered.  We  found  several  species  of 
wild  fruits — currants,  cherries,  and  a  small  fruit  known  as 
the  *  service  berry,'  which  grew  in  great  profusion.  All  these 
fruits  were  gathered  in  quantity,  and  made  into  preserves. 
We  obtained  roots  as  well — one  of  which  was  the  pomme 
blafiche^  or  Indian  turnip ;  but  the  most  interesting  of  all 
was  the  wild  potato,  which  we  dug  up — for,  in  fact,  it  is 
only  upon  these  table  lands  of  America  where  that  plant  is 
indigenous.  We  should  not  have  recognized  it  as  an  old 
acquaintance  but  for  the  botanical  knowledge  of  my  wife. 
Its  roots  were  not  larger  than  wrens'  eggs,  and  we  could 
find  so  few  of  them,  that,  in  its  wild  state,  we  saw  it  w^ould 
be  of  no  use  to  us  as  an  article  of  food.  Mary,  however, 
had  hopes  that,  by  cultivation,  we  might  produce  larger 
ones ;  so  we  collected  all  the  tubers  we  could  fall  in  with, 
and  kept  them  for  seed. 

"  Out  of  the  pods  of  the  honey  locust,  we  brew^ed  a  very 
agreeable  sort  of  beer ;  but  we  were  able  to  extract  a  still 
more  generous  beverage  from  the  wild  or  fox  grapes  that 
grew  in  all  parts  of  the  valley.  While  traveling  through 
France,  I  had  learned  how  the  wine  was  made ;  and  our 
vintage  succeeded  to  perfection.  On  the  winter  nights,  as 
we  snt  around  our  cheerful  log  fire,  Mary  was   accustomed 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  189 

to  deal  out  to  us  a  measure  apiece  of  the  exhilarating  drink. 
It  was  only,  however,  after  a  hard  day's  work,  or  hunting, 
that  we  were  allowed  to  draw  upon  this  precious  store. 

"  About  this  time,  a  new  idea  entered  into  my  mind,  which 
I  communicated  to  the  others,  and  with  which  they  all  fully 
agreed.  It  was  this:  To  capture  as  many  of  the  wild 
animals  as  we  could,  and  endeavor  to  domesticate  them  to 
our  uses.  I  was  prompted  to  this  purpose  by  various  con- 
siderations. First,  because  I  saw,  although  there  were 
several  kinds  of  deer  in  the  valley,  there  were  but  few  of 
each  kind ;  and  it  was  not  likely  that  for  many  years  they 
had  been  upon  the  increase.  Nature  had  so  disposed  it, 
■that  these  creatures  had  been  regularly  thinned  off  every 
year  by  the  numerous  beasts  of  prey  that  prowled  through 
the  valley.  Now,  an  additional  enemy  was  added  to  the 
number  of  their  destroyers  ;  and  I  foresaw  that,  unless  some 
precaution  should  be  taken,  the  deer  would  soon  become  so 
scarce  and  wild,  that  we  should  find  it  difficult  to  obtain 
enough  for  our  uses.  Could  we  only  kill  off  the  fierce  beasts 
— such  as  panthers,  and  wolves,  and  wolverenes — that  preyed 
upon  them,  then  the  whole  valley  would  become  our  deer 
park,  and  the  deer  would  soon  increase  to  any  number  we 
wanted.  This,  however,  we  could  not  do ;  and,  in  fact,  the 
beasts  of  prey  were  as  likely  to  master  us  as  we  them — for 
none  of  us  were  safe  in  venturing  into  the  thick  woods  alone  ; 
and  whenever  the  boys  made  a  short  excursion  from  the 
glade,  their  mother  was  always  in  a  state  of  anxiety  until 
they  returned.  In  fact,  every  hunt  we  made  was  attended 
with  considerable  danger,  as  we  always  fell  in  with  the  tracks 
of  wolves,  panthers,  and  even  bears  ;  and  we  frequently  saw 
these  animals  skulking  through  the  underwood.  We  knew 
that  in  time  our  powder  must  run'  out,  and  then  our  rifles 
would  be  useless  to  us.  Our  bows  and  arrows  would  then 
avail  us  but  little  against  such  thick-hided  monsters  as  these. 
We  only  hoped  that,  when  we  became  better  acquainted 
with  the  habits  of  these  carnivorous  creatures,  we  should  be 
enabled  to  destroy  them  in   traps,  and  thus  thin  them  off  at 


190  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

our  leisure,  and  without  wasting  our  ammunition.  This,  of 
course,  would  constitute  a  branch  of  our  employment ;  and, 
besides  being  a  work  of  utility,  would  furnish  us  with  an 
excitement  not  the  less  agreeable  because  it  was  hazardous. 
Could  we,  therefore,  collect  a  few  of  the  more  useful  animals 
into  an  enclosed  park,  they  woukl  soon  propagate  and  in- 
crease, and  then  the  trouble  as  well  as  danger  which  we 
experienced  in  hunting  them  would  be  at  an  end.  We  knew 
that  our  maize  corn,  yielding  two  crops  in  the  year,  would 
enable  us  to  supply  them  abundantly  with  food. 

"  There  was  still  another  consideration,  which  had  its 
weight  in  these  plans.  I  was  very  fond  of  the  study  of 
natural  history, — particularly  that  branch  of  it  relating  to 
quadrupeds, — and  I  foresaw  the  pleasure  of  observing  the 
habits  of  these  wild  creatures.  We  should  not,  therefore, 
confine  ourselves  to  making  '  pets  '  of  those  animals  that 
might  merely  serve  us  for  food.  W'e  should  embrace  in  our 
collection  all  that  we  could  subject  to  our  rule,  whether 
gentle  or  fierce.  In  fact,  it  was  our  intention  to  establish  a 
regular  'menagerie  of  the  desert.' 

"  The  main  object  of  our  industry  and  prospective  wealth 
— that  is,  the  collection  of  the  beaver  fur — would  not,  in  any 
way,  interfere  with  these  plans.  The  beavers,  in  short, 
would  give  us  very  little  trouble — as  the  drying  and  preserv- 
ing the  skins  of  those  we  should  trap  annually  would  only 
occupy  us  a  small  portion  of  the  year. 

"  Hariy  entered  with  more  spirit  into  my  designs  than  any 
of  the  others  ;  for  Harry,  like  myself,  was  fond  of  the  quad- 
rupeds. Frank,  on  the  other  hand  was  a  great  birdcatcher, 
and  recommended  that  we  should  include  the  birds  in  our 
menagerie.  To  this,  of  course,  we  assented  freely.  Mary 
had  her  own  designs  already  shaped  out ;  and  these  were 
to  gather  all  the  plants  and  trees  that  might  be  either  curious 
or  useful,  and  to  observe  what  effect  cultivation  would  pro- 
duce upon  them — in  short,  it  was  her  wish  to  form  a  com- 
plete '  botanical  garden.' 

*'  To  each,  then,  was  given  a  se[)araU'  (Upartmenl.      I  Jarry 


THE    DESERT    HOME. 


191 


and  I  were  designated  *  beast  tamers  * ;  Frank  tb^  '  bird 
tamer ' ;  while  Mary  was  appropriately  styled  the  '  tree  tamer.* 
To  Cudjo  was  assigned  a  very  important  share  of  the  labor. 
He  was  to  enclose  the  park  for  our  deer,  as  well  as  the 
grounds  for  the  botanic  garden.  He  was,  also,  to  make  our 
traps  and  cages — all  of  which  things  Cudjo  knew  how  to  do, 
and  how  to  do  them  well.  Of  course,  we  were  to  assist  him, 
as  well  as  each  other,  in  carrying  out  our  designs. 

"  Thus  our  plans  for  the  future  were  interesting  to  all  of  us. 
In  our  various  pursuits,  we  should  be  enabled  to  employ  all 
our  idle  time.  We  had  no  books,  either  to  amuse  or  in- 
struct us ;  but  we  knew  that  we  should  derive  both  instruc- 
tion and  amusement  from  the  study  of  the  greatest  of  sdl 
books — //le  book  0/ nature,^* 


192  THE  D£S£RT   HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

TRAPPING    THE    BEASTS    AND    BIRDS. 

"  Harry  was  the  first  who  succeeded  in  making  a  capture ; 
and  that  was  a  pair  of  gray  squirrels,  which  he  had  trapped 
at  the  bottom  of  their  tree.  For  these  a  large  cage  was 
constructed,  and  they  soon  became  so  tame  that  they  would 
take  the  nuts  provided  for  them  out  of  our  hands.  These, 
of  course,  were  only  idle  pets  ;  but  they  added  much  to  our 
company  and  amusement,  as  we  watched  diem  in  their  an- 
tics around  the  bars  of  their  cage — now  springing  from  point 
to  point,  and  now  sitting,  monkey-like,  and  gnawing  the  nuts 
as  they  held  them  between  their  fore-paws. 

"  Shortly  after  this  event,  Frank  became  the  hero  of  the 
hour;  and  his  achievement  was  one  of  considerable  im- 
portance. For  some  time,  he  had  been  keeping  his  eye 
upon  the  wild  turkeys ;  and  for  the  purpose  of  securing  some 
of  them  alive,  he  had  constructed,  not  far  from  the  house  a 
species  of  pen — which  is  known  in  America  by  the  name  of 
*  log  trap.'  This  was  a  very  simple  contrivance.  It  was 
made  of  split  rails,  such  as  Cudjo  used  for  his  fences ;  and 
these  were  placed  upon  one  another,  so  as  to  enclose  a 
hollow  square  between  them.  They  were  raised  about  the 
height  of  an  ordinary  fence  from  the  ground,  while  other 
rails — heavy  ones — were  laid  over  the  top,  close  enough  to 
prevent  the  turkeys,  should  they  enter,  from  escaping,  but 
not  so  near  each  other  as  to  darken  the  interior  of  the  trap, 
and  so  render  it  forbidding  in  its  appearance.  The  entrance 
was  the  main  contrivance,  although  it  was  not  an  original 
idea  with  Frank.  It  was  upon  a  plan  similar  to  the  wire 
cages  used  for  trapping  rats — where  the  rat  can  easily  find  its 
way  in,  but  has  not  sufficient  cunning  to  know  the  road  out 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  I93 

again,  i^recisely  as  the  wire  funnel  is  constructed  for  ine 
rats,  Frank  had  made  one  of  rails,  for  his  turkeys,  and  waited 
patiently  until  some  of  them  should  enter  it.  He  placed 
various  kinds  of  seeds  and  roots  within  the  enclosure ;  but 
several  days  passed,  and  no  birds  were  taken. 

"  After  some  practise,  the  '  birdcatcher  '  became  able  to 
imitate  the  *  gobbling  '  of  the  old  cocks  so  exactly,  that,  at 
some  distance  off  in  the  woods,  you  could  not  tell  but  that 
it  was  one  of  themselves.  By  this  means,  he  could  call  the 
turkeys  up  to  the  ground  where  he  himself  lay  concealed  ; 
but  the  seeds  he  had  baited  his  trap  with  were  not  suffi- 
ciently enticing,  and  none  of  them  would  go  under  the  rails. 
At  length,  however,  he  hit  upon  an  expedient,  which  was 
sure  to  succeed,  if  anything  could.  He  had  shot  one  of 
the  turkeys  with  his  arrows ;  and,  taking  it  into  the  trap,  he 
carefully  propped  it  up,  so  that  it  appeared  to  be  still  alive, 
and  busy  feeding  upon  its  bait.  He  then  retired  to  some 
distance  ;  and,  hiding  himself  among  the  brushwood,  '  gob- 
bled '  as  before.  Three  large  birds  soon  made  their  ap- 
pearance, coming  cautiously  through  the  woods.  Of  course, 
like  all  wild  turkeys,  they  were  ujDon  the  ground,  stalking 
along  just  like  so  many  ostriches.  At  length,  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  pen,  and,  seeing  one  of  their  own  kind  quietly, 
feeding,  as  they  thought,  within  it,  they  approached  fear- 
lessly, and  ran  around  the  enclosure,  seeking  for  an  entrance. 
Frank  lay  watching  all  their  movements,  and  his  heart,  at 
this  moment,  was  thumping  against  his  ribs.  His  anxiety 
did  not  long  endure.  The  three  great  birds  soon  found  the 
wide  funnel ;  and,  without  hesitating,  ran  up  it,  and  appeared 
inside  the  trap.  Frank  sprang  from  his  lurking-place  ;  and, 
running  forward,  first  shut  up  the  entrance  by  filling  it  with 
stones.  Then,  climbing  upon  the  top,  he  slipped  through 
between  the  rails,  and  secured  the  birds  by  tying  their  legs 
together  with  a  stout  thong  of  deer  skin.  When  he  had 
lifted  them  out  of  the  trap,  he  again  adjusted  everything, 
leaving  the  *  decoy  turkey  quietly  feeding  as  before,  and 
shoulderinp-  his  prize  he  marched  off  in  triumph.     His  »"='<-um 

13 


J94 


THE    DESERT    HOME. 


to  the  house  was  greeted  with  exclamations  of  joy ;  and  a 

rail  pen  was  immediately  built  for  the  birds,  similar  to  the 
trap  in  which  they  had  been  caught,  but  of  course,  without 
the  funnel  or  entrance.  The  only  regret  we  had  was,  that 
the  three  were  all  cocks — regular  '  old  gobblers.' 

*'  Next  day,  hoM^ever,  Frank  remedied  this  by  making  a 
still  more  important  capture.  On  returning  to  visit  his  trap 
before  sunrise,  he  saw  from  a  distance  that  there  was  a  live 
turkey  inside,  with  a  number  of  smaller  birds,  which,  in  the 
gray  light,  appeared  like  so  many  partridges.  On  getting 
nearer,  to  his  surprise  and  delight  he  found  that  what  he  had 
taken  for  partridges  was  a  large  brood  of  young  turkeys,  and 
that  which  he  had  first  seen  was  their  mother.  The  little 
ones  were  running  out  and  in,,  for  they  could  easily  pass  be- 
tween the  rails  ;  while  the  mother  ran  around,  thrusting  her 
head  out  of  the  pen,  and  occasionally  spreading  her  wings 
and  flapping  upwards,  endeavoring  to  escape  in  that  direc- 
tion. The  young  were  all  making  a  great  ado,  and  evidently 
aware  that  their  mother  was  '  in  the  trap.' 

"  Frank,  fearing  that  the  youngsters  might  get  off  if  he  at- 
tempted to  approach  them  alone,  came  back  to  the  house, 
and  summoned  Harry,  Cudjo,  and  myself  to  his  assistance. 
To  make  sure  of  them,  we  took  with  us  the  long  canvas  tilt 
of  the  wagon,  with  a  couple  of  blankets  fastened  to  it  at  the 
end.  We  adopted  every  precaution,  as  we  looked  upon  cap- 
turing this  young  brood  as  a  thing  of  great  importance  since 
we  could  bring  them  up  quite  domesticated,  and  from  them 
should  breed  as  many  more  as  we  pleased.  We  approached 
the  pen  with  all  due  caution  ;  and,  when  near,  we  separated, 
each  of  us  taking  a  side.  We  then  advanced  upon  the  trap, 
completely  surrounding  it ;  and,  while  the  birds  ran  confusedly 
from  side  to  side,  we  stretched  the  tilt  and  blankets  all  around 
the  pen,  thus  cutting  off  their  retreat.  In  a  few  moments 
we  had  secured  both  the  old  hen  and  her  chicks,  amounting, 
in  all,  to  no  less  than  eighteen  of  them  1  This  was  a  capture, 
indeed  ;  and  we  immediately  hurried  back  to  the  house  with 
them,  not  forgetting  to  take  along  with  us  the  *  decoy  tur- 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I95 

k^y,*  which,  being  a  fine,  fat  fellow,  and  killed  only  the  day 
b«ifore,  served  us  for  a  very  good  dinner.  For  the  turkey- 
hen  and  young  we  built  another  pen,  near  to  that  where  we 
had  imprisoned  the  three  '  old  gobblers.'  The  one  last  con- 
structed was  made  with  more  care,  and  closer  between  the 
rails,  so  that  the  youngsters  might  not  get  out  and  wander 
off. 

*'  Frank  again  baited  his  log  trap,  and  used  for  a  decoy 
die  of  the  gobblers,  which  he  tied  by  the  leg  to  a  rail.  In 
this  way  several  others  were  caught  ;  when  the  birds  at 
length  became  shy,  and  kept  away  from  the  pen  altogether. 
However,  we  had  now  as  many  as  we  could  feed,  until  our 
corn  should  ripen  and  be  gathered. 

•'  From  this  time,  every  day  saw  new  additions  to  our 
aviary.  Frank  had  procured  the  bark  of  the  ilex  opaca,  or 
American  holly  ;  and  this,  when  macerated  in  water,  and 
then  fermented  and  cleared  of  its  fibers,  made  the  very  best 
of  birdlime.  A  large  cage  had  been  constructed  out  of  bow- 
wood  with  the  straight  reeds  of  the  cane,  and  divided  into 
many  compartments,  so  that  birds  of  different  species  should 
be  separated  from  each  other.  In  a  short  time,  the  cage  was 
seen  to  contain  specimens  of  the  blue  jay  and  red  bird,  or 
Virginia  nightingale,  orioles  of  several  species,  and  doves  of 
two  distinct  kinds.  There  were  also  several  Carolina  paro- 
quets ;  and  Frank  had  succeeded  in  capturing  a  bird  of  a 
very  rare  kind,  which,  I  believe,  is  known  to  the  Indians  as 
the  *  wakon.'  It  was  the  American  bird  of  paradise  ;  and, 
like  those  of  the  eastern  world  had  several  long  feathers 
growing  from  its  tail,  and  stretching  away  gracefully  behind  it. 
In  the  cage  were  also  finches  of  different  varieties,  and  beauti- 
ful, bright  plumage.  Among  others  were  the  green  bird,  the 
redstart,  and  the  cock  of  the  woods ;  the  little  blue  bird  also, 
the  red-winged  starling,  and  the  orange-headed  troupiale— 
which  last  species  migrated  in  large  flocks  into  the  valley. 
There  was  a  number  of  small  cages,  which  had  been  con- 
structed for  the  smallest  of  all  birds — the  hummingbirds — and 
Frank  had  caught  no  less  than  a  dozen  different  kinds  of  these 


196  THE   DESERT  HOMl:.. 

most  beautiful  creatures  which  he  daily  supplied  with  i^ish 
flowers.  Another  cage,  apart  from  all  the  rest,  held  an  in- 
mate that,  so  far  as  appearance  went,  you  would  have  said 
had  no  right  to  be  thus  distinguished  in  having  a  house  all 
to  himself.  He  was  of  a  sober,  gray  color,  somewhat  of  the 
wagtail  shape,  with  long,  black  legs,  and  claws  of  a  dirty  hue ; 
and  was  altogether  an  ill-favored  bird,  not  any  better  looking 
than  a  common  house-sparrow.  Had  you  known  nothing 
more  about  him  than  his  outward  appearance,  you  would 
hardly  have  deigned  to  waste  a  second  look  upon  him.  The 
moment,  however,  his  black  bill  was  opened,  and  his  lead- 
colored  throat  became  expanded  in  a  song,  you  forgot  all 
about  the  dull  hue  of  his  plumage.  You  all  at  once  forgot 
the  bright  wings  of  the  paroquet,  and  the  beautiful  form  of 
the  oriole ;  the  red  bird,  the  blue  jay,  and  the  wakon  were 
alike  forgotten,  and  you  gazed  upon  this  sweet  musician 
with  delight  and  admiration.  As  you  continued  to  listen, 
you  would  notice  that  he  mimicked  almost  every  sound  that 
occurred  within  hearing.  When  any  of  the  others  commenced 
to  sing,  he  would  catch  the  strain,  as  it  were,  from  their  lips, 
and,  giving  it  in  a  far  higher  and  bolder  tone,  shame  them 
into  silence.  This,  I  need  hardly  tell  you,  was  the  famous 
mock  bird — ^the  nightingale  of  America. 

"  While  Frank  was  daily  increasing  his  stock  of  winged 
creatures,  Harry  was  not  idle  among  the  quadrupeds.  No 
less  than  five  kinds  of  squirrels  had  been  caught  and  caged. 
These  were  the  gray,  black  and  red,  or  fox  varieties  of  the 
tree-squirrel,  and  two  species  of  ground-squirrel — one  the 
common  hackee,  or  chipping  squirrel ;  while  the  other  was 
a  new  species,  which  we  had  caught  on  the  desert  plain 
above,  among  the  roots  of  the  artemisia  plant.  This  last 
was  a  beautiful  little  creature,  not  much  larger  than  a  mouse, 
and  striped  like  a  little  zebra.  It  has  never — as  far  as  I 
can  tell — been  described  by  naturalists  ;  and  on  this  account, 
as  well  as  from  its  peculiar  size  and  beauty,  it  was  a  general 
favorite  with  all  of  us,  particularly  with  I.uisa  and  Mary,  in 
WlK>se  laps  it  soon  learned  to  sleep,  like  a  tamed  mousis* 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  I9) 

"Besides  the  squirrels,  Harry's  collection  embraced  a 
hare  and  a  couple  of  raccoons.  These  last  were  the  produce 
of  a  night  hunt  or  two  which  Cud  jo  had  made  with  the  dogs  ; 
and,  although  these  fox-like  animals  were  by  no  means  useful 
pets,  yet  they  gave  a  variety  to  our  collection,  and  added 
to  our  amusement  in  the  observation  of  their  curious 
habits." 


19$  THE   DESERr    HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  BITERS  BIT. 

**  OuK  next  was  a  fishing  excursion.  As  I  have  said, 
Cudjo  had  already  discovered  that  our  stream  contained  fish, 
and  had  caught  several  of  them.  They  were  something  like 
Salmon-  trout,  although  dilfering  considerably  from  that 
species  in  color.  Nevertheless,  they  were  very  delicious 
eating,  and  we  were  all  very  fond  of  them. 

*'  We  set  forth  in  the  morning,  but  on  this  occasion  we 
le^"  Pompo  and  his  cart  behind,  as  we  had  not  far  to  go — 
only  a  short  distance  down  the  stream,  where  Cudjo  knew  a 
large  pool  in  which  the  fish  were  plenty.  We  took  with  us 
lines,  made  out  of  the  wild  flax  that  grows  in  the  valley,  and 
which,  Mary  tells  us,  is  found  in  all  countries  that  border 
upon  the  Rocky  Mountains.  k)uY  rods  were  long,  tapering 
-canes,  which  we  had  in  abunaance  around  us.  For  hooks, 
we  used  pins  bent  into  the  proper  shape  ;  and  our  bait  con- 
sisted of  a  variety  of  worms.  All  these  things  w^ere  carried 
by  Harry  and  Frank,  w^iile  Cudjo  and  I  took  the  younger  ones 
in  our  arms,  and  Mary  w^as  left  free  to  botanize  as  we  passed 
along.  Castor  and  Pollux  accompanied  us,  of  course ;  and 
Pompo,  as  he  saw  us  leave  the  house,  ran  neighing  around 
his  enclosure,  as  if  quite  vexed  at  our  leaving  him  behind. 
Cudjo.  of  course,  became  our  guide,  taking  us  through  the 
woods  to  that  part  of  the  stream  where  was  his  favorite 
fishing  ground. 

"  After  traveling  at  our  leisure  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
we  were  all  brought  to  a  sudden  halt  by  an  exclamation  from 
my  wife,  who  stood  pointing  at  some  trees  a  little  to  one  side 
of  the  path. 

**  *  What,  mamma  1 '  cried  Harry,  another  fine  tree  ?     Why, 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  I99 

the  real  bread  fruit  and  the  cocoanuts  will  turn  up  yet,  I 
believe,  in  spite  of  the  latitude.*' 

" '  I  am  sorry  for  your  sake,  Harry,'  replied  his  mamma, 

*  as  well  as  our  own,  that  I  have  not  made  the  discovery  of 
another  fine  tree.  No  ;  it  is  quite  another  thing,  and  not  a 
very  useful  discovery.  But  it  may  be  curious  to  you  ;  and 
papa,  here,  can  read  you  a  chapter  of  natural  history  upon 
it.     It  is  in  his  line.     It  is  a  four-footed  animal' 

"  'Animal ! '  exclaimed  Harry  ;  *  I  see  no  animal.  Where 
is  it,  mamma  ? ' 

"  '  Nor  do  I,'  replied  his  mother;  *but  I  see  indications 
of  the  presence  of  one,  and  a  very  destructive  one,  too. 
Look  there !  ' 

"  As  Mary  said  this,  she  pointed  to  a  grove  of  young 
Cottonwood  trees,  from  which  the  bark  and  leaves  were 
stripped  off  as  cleanly  as  if  they  had  been  gnawed  by  goats, 
or  scraped  with  a  knife.  Some  of  the  trees  were  quite  dead  ; 
while  others  of  them  were  freshly  peeled,  and  only  waited 
for  a  little  time  to  decay  them. 

"  *  O,  I  see  what   you  mean  now,  mamma,'  said  Harry. 

*  Some  animal  has  done  this — but  what  one  ?  The  beavers 
cannot  climb  ;  and  I  am  sure  neither  squirrels,  raccoons, 
nor  opossums  would  take  the  bark  from  trees  in  that 
manner." 

"  *  No  ;  it  was  none  of  them.  Your  papa  can  best  inform 
you  what  sort  of  animal  has  been  so  destructive  to  these 
young  trees,  which,  you  perceive,  are  of  the  beautiful  cotton- 
wood  species,  thQ populus  angulatus  of  botanists.' 

"  '  Come,  Harry,'  said  I,  *  let  us  first  find  the  animal,  if  we 
can.' 

"  We  all  turned  towards  the  leafless  grove.  We  had  not 
walked  many  steps  in  that  direction,  when  the  very  animal 
we  were  in  exarch  of  appeared  on  the  ground  before  us.  It 
was  quite  three  feet  long,  thick,  and  broad  in  the  back,  and 
arched  from  the  nose  to  the  tail.  It  was  of  a  speckled,  gray 
color,  but  with  the  roughest  coat  of  hair  that  could  possibly 
be  imagined.     Its  head  and  nose  were  very  small  for  the 


200  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

size  of  its  body ;  and  its  short,  stout  legs,  with  their  long 
claws,  were  scarcely  visible  under  the  thick,  shaggy  hair. 
Its  ears  were  also  buried  under  the  hair  ;  and  it  looked  more 
like  a  round,  tufted  mass  than  an  animal.  It  was  down  upon 
the  ground,  and  had  evidently  perceived  our  approach,  as  it 
was  making  off  through  the  grass  as  fast  as  it  could.  That, 
however  was  not  very  fast, — not  faster  than  a  frog  could  go, 
— for  the  animal  in  question  is  one  of  the  very  slowest 
travelers. 

"  As  soon  as  I  caught  sight  of  it,  and  saw  that  it  was  upon 
the  ground, — and  not  among  the  branches,  where  I  had  ex- 
pected to  find  it, — I  turned  round  to  secure  the  dogs.  I  was 
too  late,  for  these  unreasoning  animals  had  already  seen  it, 
and,  forgetful  of  the  lesson  which  the  skunk  had  taught  them, 
were  dashing  forward  in  full  cry.  I  endeavored  to  call  them 
off ;  but,  heedless  of  our  shouts,  both  rushed  on  the  strange 
creature  at  once.  The  latter,  seeing  them  approach,  im- 
mediately stopped,  buried  its  head  under  its  breast,  seemed 
suddenly  to  swell  upward  and  outward  to  twice  its  natural 
size — while  its  rough,  thick  tail  was  brandished  from  side  to 
side  in  a  furious  and  threatening  manner. 

"  We  could  all  now  see  that  that  which  had  appeared  to 
be  coarse,  thick  hair  was  nothing  else  than  long,  bristling 
spines  ;  and  Harry  at  once  cried  out, — 

"  *  A  porcupine  1  a  porcupine  1  ' 

"  The  dogs,  unfortunately  for  themselves,  did  not  know 
■what  it  was  ;  nor  did  they  stop  to  consider,  but  dashed  upon 
it,  open-mouthed,  as  they  usually  do  with  any  strange  animal. 
They  did  not  hold  it  long,  for  the  next  moment  they  dropped 
it,  and  came  running  back  more  open-mouthed  than  ever, — 
uttering  the  most  piteous  howls, — and  we  saw  that  their 
noses,  lips,  and  jaws  were  sticking  full  of  the  sharp  quills  1 
Meanwhile,  the  porcupine  again  stretched  himself  out  and, 
crawling  to  the  foot  of  a  tree,  commenced  climbing  up.  But 
Cudjo,  who  was  highly  offended  with  the  treatment  which 
his  favorites  had  received,  rushed  after,  and,  knocking  down 
the  animal  with  his  spear,  soon  despatched  him. 


THE    DESERT   HOME.  201 

"  Harry,  who  had  grown  much  wiser  since  his  adventure 
with  the  skunk,  was  rather  shy  of  approaching  the  porcupine 

-particularly  as  he  had  heard  that  this  animal  possesses 
the  power  of  shooting  his  quills  to  some  distance,  and  stick- 
ing them  like  arrows  mto  his  enemies.  Harry  inquired  if 
this  were  true. 

"  '  No,'  I  replied ;  *  it  is  only  one  of  those  fabulous  stories 
which  the  ingenious  French  naturalist  Buffon  so  much  de- 
lighted to  recount.  The  porcupine's  quills  may  be  pulled 
out  easily  by  anything  which  presses  too  rudely  against  them, 
such  as  the  mouth  of  a  mastiff ;  and  this  because  they  are 
very  slightly  attached  by  their  roots,  and  have  a  barb  upon 
their  tops  that  takes  hold  upon  any  enemy  that  may  attempt 
to  touch  them.  This  is  the  only  defense  the  poor  animal 
has  got,  as  it  is  so  slow  of  foot  that  any  of  its  enemies  can 
easily  come  up  with  it.  But,  notwithstanding  its  slowness, 
most  of  the  fierce  creatures  find  it  better  to  leave  the  por- 
cupine to  himself,  and  his  innocent  occupation  of  '  barking ' 
the  trees.  He  generally  proves  more  than  a  match  for  any 
of  them  ;  and,  in  fact,  neither  wolf,  panther,  nor  wildcat,  can 
kill  him,  as  there  is  not  a  spot  of  his  body  which  they  can 
touch  when  he  prepares  himself  for  their  attack.  On  the 
other  hand,  he  frequently  kills  them  ;  only  in  self-defense, 
however,  as  he  never  attacks  any  animal,  but  lives  alto- 
gether on  his  simple  food — the  bark  and  leaves  of  trees. 
The  cougar  is  often  found  dead  in  the  woods,  his  death  oc- 
casioned by  the  procupine's  quills  that  are  seen  sticking  in 
his  mouth  and  tongue.  So  also  the  lynx  has  been  found,  as 
well  as  many  dogs  and  wolves.' 

"  So  much  of  the  natural  history  of  this  strange  animal  I 
related  to  my  companions  at  the  time  ;  but,  shortly  after,  an 
incident  was  witnessed  by  Harry  and  myself,  which  showed 
us  that  the  porcupine,  notwithstanding  his  bristling  armor, 
had  one  enemy,  at  least,  who  could  master  him  upon  oc- 
casions. Although  it  occurred  some  months  after  our  fishing 
excursion,  now  that  we  are  speaking  of  the  porcupine,  I  shaU 
r«l*t«il,"  _ 


203  TU£  DESERT  HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

BATTLE   OF   THE    MARTEN   AND    PORCUPINE. 

"  It  was  in  the  middle  o.  '.j  winter.  A  light  snow  had 
fallen  upon  the  ground — just  enough  to  enable  us  to  follow 
the  trail  of  any  animal  we  might  light  upon.  Of  course,  the 
snow  filled  us  with  the  idea  of  hunting ;  and  Harry  and  I 
started  out  upon  the  tracks  of  a  brace  of  elk  that  had  passed 
through  our  opening  during  the  night.  The  tracks  were 
very  fresh  looking ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  animals  had 
passed  in  the  morning,  just  before  we  were  up.  We  con- 
cluded, therefore,  that  they  had  not  gone  far  off ;  and  we 
hoped  soon  to  come  up  with  them. 

''  The  trail  led  us  along  the  side  of  the  lake,  and  then  up 
the  left  bank  of  the  stream.  Castor  and  Pollux-  were  with 
us ;  but  in  our  hunting  excursions  we  usually  led  them  in  a 
leash,  so  that  they  might  not  frighten  the  game  by  running 
ahead  of  us. 

"  When  about  half  a  mile  from  the  house,  we  found  that 
the  elk  had  crossed  to  the  right  bank  of  the  stream.  We 
were  about  to  follow,  when  all  at  once  our  eyes  fell  upon  a 
most  singular  track  or  tracks  that  led  off  into  the  woods. 
They  were  the  tracks  of  human  feet — the  feet  of  children  !. 

"  So  thought  we,  at  first  sight  of  them  ;  and  you  may 
fancy  the  surprise  into  which  we  were  suddenly  thrown. 
They  were  about  five  inches  in  length,  and  exactly  such  as 
would  have  been  made  by  a  barefooted  urchin  of  six  years 
old.  There  appeared  to  be  two  sets  of  them,  as  if  two 
children  had  passed,  following  one  another  on  the  same 
trail.  What  could  it  mean  ?  After  all,  were  there  human 
beings  in  the  valley  besides  ourselves  ?  Could  these  be  the 
footprints  of  two  young  Indians  ?     All  at  once  I  thought  of 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  203 

the  Diggers— -the  Yamparicos — the  root  eaters — who  are 
found  in  almost  every  hole  and  corner  of  the  American  Des- 
ert. Could  it  be  possible  that  a  family  of  these  wretched 
creatures  existed  in  the  valley  ?  '  Quite  possible,'  thought  I, 
when  I  reflected  upon  their  habits.  Living  upon  roots,  in- 
sects, and  reptiles,  burrowing  in  holes  and  caves  like  the 
wild  animals  around  them, — a  family  or  more  might  have 
been  living  all  this  time  in  some  unexplored  corner  of  the 
valley,  without  our  having  encountered  any  trac^es  of  them. 
Was  this  really  so  ?  and  were  the  tracks  before  us  the  foot- 
marks of  a  brace  of  young  Diggers  who  had  been  passing 
from  point  to  point  ? 

*'  Of  course,  our  elk  hunt  was  given  up  until  this  mystery 
should  be  solved ;  and  we  turned  off  from  the  trail  of  the 
latter  to  follow  that  of  the  children. 

In  coming  out  to  an  open  place,  where  the  snow  lay 
smoothly,  and  the  footprints  appeared  well  defined,  I  stooped 
down  to  examine  them  more  minutely,  in  order  to  be  satisfied 
that  they  were  the  tracks  of  human  feet.  Sure  enough,  there 
were  the  heels,  the  regular  widening  of  the  foot  near  the 
toes  and  the  toes,  themselves,  all  plainly  stamped  upon  the 
snow.  Here,  however,  arose  another  mystery.  On  countv 
ing  the  toes,  I  found  that  in  some  of  the  tracks  there 
were  five, — as  there  should  have  been, — while  in  oAors 
there  were  only  four  !  This  led  me  to  examine  the  print  of 
the  toes  more  carefully ;  and  I  now  saw  that  each  of  them 
was  armed  with  a  claw,  which  on  account  of  some  hairy 
covering,  had  made  but  a  very  indefinite  impression  in  the 
snow.  The  tracks,  then,  were  not  the  footmarks  of  diil- 
dren,  but  those  of  some  animal  with  claws. 

"  Notwithstanding  that  we  had  come  to  this  corgclusion, 
we  still  continued  to  follow  the  trail.  We  were  curious  to  see 
what  sort  of  a  creature  had  made  it.  Perhaps  it  might  be 
some  animal  unknown  to  naturalists — some  new  species ; 
and  we  might  one  day  have  the  merit  of  being  the  first  to 
describe  it.  We  had  not  far  to  go  :  a  hundred  yards  or  so 
brought  us  in  sight  of  a  grove  of  young  cottonwoods ;  and 


204  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

these,  we  saw  at  a  glance,  were  *  barked '  by  a  porcupine. 
The  whole  mystery  was  cleared  up — we  had  been  following 
in  the  trail  of  this  animal. 

"  I  now  remembered  that  the  porcupine  was  one  of  the 
plantigrade  family,  with  five  toes  on  his  hind  feet,  and  only 
four  on  the  fore  orhes.     The  track?  were  undoubtedly  his. 

"  My  companion  and  I  were  somewhat  chagrined  at  being 
thus  drawn  away  from  our  hunt  by  such  an  insignificant  ob- 
ject ;  and  we  vowed  to  take  vengeance  upon  the  porcupine,  as 
soon  as  we  should  set  our  eyes  upon  him.  We  were  not 
long  in  doing  this,  for,  as  we  stple  quietly  forward,  we  caught 
sight  of  a  shaggy  animal  moving  among  the  branches  of  a 
tree  about  fifty  yards  ahead  of  us.  It  was  he,  of  course.  At 
the  same  moment,  however,  another  animal  *  hove  in  sight,  * 
in  appearance  as  dieffrent  from  the  porcupine  as  a  bull 
from  a  bluebottle. 

''This  creature —tail  and  all — was  not  less  than  a  yard 
Mid  a  quarter  in  length,  and  yet  its  body  was  not  thicker 
than  the  upper  part  of  a  man's  arm.  Its  head  was  broad 
and  somewhat  flattened,  with  short,  erect  ears  and  pointed 
nose.  It  was  bearded  like  a  cat,  although  the  face  had 
more  of  the  dog  in  its  expression.  Its  legs  were  short  and 
strong ;  and  both  legs  and  body  denoted  the  possession  of 
agility  and  strength.  It  was  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  with 
a  white  mark  on  the  breast,  and  darker  along  the  back  and 
on  the  legs,  faet,  nose,  and  tail.  Its  whole  appearance  re- 
minded one  of  a  gigantic  weasel, — which  in  fact  it  was, — 
the  great  marten  of  America,  generally,  though  improperly, 
oalled  the  'fisher.*  When  we  first  saw  't,  it  was  crouching 
along  a  high  log  that  ran  directly  .owards  "the  tree,  upon 
which  was  the  porcupine.  Its  eyes  were  fixed  intently  upon 
the  latter ;  and  it.  was  evidently  meditating  an  attack.  We 
stopped  to  watch  it. 

"  The  porcupine  had  not  yet  perceived  his  enemy,  as  he 
was  busily  engaged  in  splitting  the  bark  from  the  cottoiv 
wood.  The  marten,  after  reconnoitring  him  for  some  mo- 
ments, sprang  off  from  the  log,  and  canae  running  towards 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  205 

the  tree.  The  other  now  saw  him,  and  at  the  same  instant 
uttered  a  sort  of  shrill,  querulous  cry,  and  appeared  to  be 
greatly  affrighted.  To  our  astonishment,  however,  instead 
of  remaining  where  it  was,  it  suddenly  dropped  to  the  ground, 
almost  at  the  very  nose  of  its  adversary  1  I  could  not,  at 
first,  understand  the  policy  of  this  strange  tactic  on  the  part 
of  the  porcupine ;  but  a  moment's  reflection  convinced  me 
it  was  sound  policy.  The  marten  would  have  been  as  much 
at  home  on  the  tree  as  himself  ;  and  had  he  remained  among 
the  branches — which  were  slender  ones, — his  throat  and  the 
under  part  of  his  body — both  of  which  are  soft,  and  without 
quills — would  have  been  exposed  to  the  teeth  of  his  adver- 
sary. This,  then  was  why  he  had  let  himself  down  so  un- 
expectedly ;  and  we  noticed  that  the  instant  he  touched  the 
ground,  he  rolled  himself  into  a  round  clew,  presenting  on 
all  sides  the  formidable  chevaiix-de-frise  of  his  quills. 

"  The  marten  now  ran  around  him,  doubling  his  long, 
vermiform  body  with  great  activity — at  intervals  showing  his 
teeth,  erecting  his  back,  and  snarling  like  a  cat.  We  ex- 
pected every  moment  to  see  him  spring  forward  upon  his 
victim ;  but  he  did  not  do  so.  He  evidently  understood 
the  peril  of  such  an  act ;  and  appeared  for  a  moment  puz- 
zled as  to  how  he  should  proceed.  All  this  while,  the  por- 
cupine lay  quiet — except  the  tail.  This  was,  in  fact,  the 
only  *  feature '  of  the  animal  that  could  be  seen,  as  the  head 
and  feet  were  completely  hidden  under  the  body.  The  tail, 
however,  was  kept  constantly  in  motion — jerked  from  side 
to  side,  and  flirted  occasionally  upwards. 

"  What  would  the  marten  do  ?  There  was  not  an  inch  of 
the  other's  body  that  was  not  defended  by  the  sharp  and 
barbed  quills — not  a  spot  where  he  could  insert  the  tip  of 
his  nose.  Would  he  abandon  the  contest  ?  So  thought  we, 
for  a  while ;  but  we  were  soon  convinced  of  our  error. 

"  After  running  around  several  times,  as  we  have  de- 
scribed, he  at  length  posted  himself  near  the  hind  quarters 
of  the  porcupine,  and  with  his  nose  a  few  inches  from  the 
tftil  of  the  latter.     In  this  position  he  stood  for  some  mo- 


2o6  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

ments,  apparently  watching  the  tail,  which  still  continued  to 
oscillate  rapidly.  He  stood  in  perfect  silence,  and  without 
making  a  movement. 

"  The  porcupine,  not  being  able  to  see  him,  and  perhaps 
til  inking  that  he  was  gone,  now  waved  his  tail  more  slowly, 
and  then  suffered  it  to  drop  motionless. 

"  This  was  what  the  other  was  waiting  for  ;  and,  the  next 
moment,  he  had  seized  the  tail  in  his  teeth.  We  saw  that 
he  held  it  by  the  tip,  where  it  is  destitute  of  the  tliorny 
spines. 

"  What  would  he  do  next  ?  Was  he  going  to  bite  off  the 
end  of  the  porcupine's  tail?  No  such  thing.  He  had  a 
different  game  from  that  to  play  as  we  soon  witnessed. 

"  The  moment  he  caught  the  tail,  the  porcupine  uttered  its 
querulous  cries;  but  the  marten,  heeding  not  these,  com- 
menced walking  backward,  dragging  the  other  after  him. 
Where  was  he  dragging  it  to  ?  We  soon  saw.  He  was  pull- 
ing it  to  a  tree  close  by,  with  low  branches,  that  forked  out 
near  the  ground.  '  But  for  what  purpose  ? '  thought  we.  We 
wondered  as  we  watched. 

"  The  porcupine  could  offer  no  resistance.  Its  feet  gave 
way,  and  slipped  along  the  snowy  ground  ;  for  the  marten 
was  evidently  the  much  stronger  animal. 

"  In  a  short  time,  the  latter  had  reached  the  tree,  drag- 
ging the  other  after  him  to  its  foot.  He  now  commenced 
ascending,  still  holding  the  porcupine's  tail  in  his  teeth,  and 
taking  precious  care  not  to  brush  too  closely  to  the  quills. 
'  Surely,'  thought  we,  '  he  cannot  climb  up,  carrying  a  body 
almost  as  big  as  himself,  in  that  manner  ! '  It  was  not  his 
intention  to  climb  up, — only  to  one  of  the  lowermost  branches, 
— and  the  next  moment  he  had  reached  it,  stretching  his 
long  body  out  on  the  limb,  and  clutching  it  fiimly  with  his 
cat-like  ctaws.  He  still  held  fast  hold  of  the  porcupine's 
tail,  which  animal  was  now  lifted  into  such  a  position  that 
only  its  fore  quarters  rested  on  the  ground,  and  it  appeared 
to  stand  upon  its  head,  all  the  while  uttering  its  pitiful  cries. 

"  For  the -life  of  us,  we  could  not  guess  what  the  marten 


THE    DESERT    HOIME.  207 

meant  by  all  this  maneuvering.  He  knew  well  enough,  as 
he  gave  proof  the  moment  after.  When  he  had  got  the 
other,  as  it  were,  on  a  balance,  he  suddenly  sprang  back  to 
the  ground,  in  such  a  direction  that  the  impetus  of  his  leap 
jerked  the  porcupine  upon  its  back.  Before  the  clumsy 
creature  was  able  to  turn  over  and  '  clew  '  itself,  the  active 
weasel  had  pounced  upon  its  belly,  and  buried  his  claws  in 
the  soft  flesh,  while,  at  the  same  time,  his  teeth  were  made 
fast  in  the  throat ! 

"  In  vain  the  porcupine  struggled.  The  other  rode  him 
with  such  agility,  that  he  was  unable  to  get  right  side  up 
again ;  and  in  a  few  moments  the  struggle  would  have  ended 
by  the  porcupine's  throat  being  cut ;  but  we  saw  that  it  was 
time  for  us  to  interfere  ;  and,  slipping  Castor  and  Pollux 
from  the  leash,  we  ran  forward. 

"  The  dogs  soon  drove  the  marten  from  his  victim,  but 
he  did  not  run  from  them.  On  the  contrary,  he  turned 
round  upon  them,  keeping  them  at  bay  with  his  sharp  teeth 
and  fierce  snarling.  In  truth,  they  would  have  had  a  very 
tough  job  of  it,  had  we  not  been  near ;  but,  on  seeing  us 
approach,  the  animal  took  to  a  tree,  running  up  it  like  a 
squirrel.  A  rifle  bullet  soon  brought  him  down  again ;  and 
his  long  body  lay  stretched  out  on  the  earth,  emitting  a  strong 
odor  of  musk,  thai  was  quite  disagreeable. 

"  On  returning  to  the  porcupine, — which  our  dogs  took 
care  not  to  meddle  with, — we  found  the  animal  already 
better  than  half  dead.  The  blood  was  running  from  its 
throat,  which  the  marten  had  torn  open.  Of  course,  we  put 
the  creature  out  of  pain,  by  killing  it  outright ;  and  taking 
the  marten  along  with  us.  for  the  purpose  of  skinning  it,  we 
returned  homeward,  leaving  the  elk  hunt  for  another  day. 

"  All  this,  as  I  have  said,  occurred  afterwards.  Let  us  now 
return  to  the  narrative  of  our  fishing  excursion. 

"  As  soon  as  the  porcupine  had  been  disposed  of  we 
were  reminded  of  the  sufferings  of  our  dogs  who  had  ceased 
their  howling,  but  required  to  be  relieved  of  the  barbed 
spines  with  which  their  lips  were  sticking  full.     We  drew 


2o8  THE  DESERT  HOME. 

them  out  as  easily  as  we  could ;  but,  notwithstanding  this, 
their  heads  began  to  swell  up  to  twice  the  natural  size,  and 
the  poor  brutes  appeared  to  be  in  great  pain.  They  were 
fairly  punished  for  their  inconsiderate  rashness  ;  and  it  was 
not  likely  that  they  would  run  their  noses  against  another 
porcupine  for  some  time  to  comet" 


tHE   DESERT    HOME,  tO^ 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

THE  CUNNING  OLD  "  'cOON." 

"We  now  continued  our  journey  towards  our  fishing 
ground,  Cudjo  having  hung  the  porcupine  to  a  \  ee,  with 
the  design  of  taking  it  home  with  him  on  our  return.  It  was 
Cudjo's  intention  to  skin  it,  and  eat  part  or  the  whole?  of  it— 
a  species  of  food  which  he  assured  us  he  had  often  eaten  be- 
fore, and  which  tasted  equal  to  young  pig.  None  o/  us 
were  likely  to  join  Cudjo  in  such  a  meal ;  but  at  all  even.:s, 
thought  we,  when  the  quills  and  skin  are  removed,  our  dogs 
might  get  a  morsel  of  it  as  a  reward  for  their  sufterings. 
This  was  an  object,  certainly ;  as,  out  of  our  scanty  larder, 
Castor  and  Pollux  did  not  fare  the  best  sometimes. 

"  We  soon  arrived  upon  the  bank  of  the  creek  and  close 
to  the  pool.  This  was  a  long  stretch  of  deep,  dark  water, 
with  a  high  bank  on  one  side,  shadowed  over  with  leafy  trees. 
On  the  opposite  side,  the  bank  was  low,  and  shelved  down 
to  the  edge — while  several  logs  lay  along  it,  half  covered 
with  water  and  half  of  them  stretching  up  against  the  bank. 

We  took  the  high  bank  for  our  station,  as  upon  this  there 
was  a  spot  of  smooth,  grassy  turf,  shaded  by  beautiful  pal- 
metto trees,  where  the  children  could  tumble  about.  Here 
Mary  sat  down  with  them,  while  the  rest  of  us  proceeded  to 
fish.  Of  course,  we  could  do  no  more  than  throw  in  our 
lines,  and  then  wait  until  the  fish  should  be  fools  enough  to 
bite.  We  conversed  very  quietly,  lest  the  noise  of  our  talk- 
ing should  frighten  the  fish,  though  this  was  only  an  imagi- 
nation of  our  own.  We  had  not  been  watching  our  floats 
more  than  five  minutes,  when  we  noticed,  here  and  there,  a 
slight  stir  in  the  water ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  little  circles 
made  by  this,  we  could  see  small,  black  objects,  not  unlike 
»4 


2  10  THE    DESERT    JlUME. 

the  heads  of  snakes.  At  first,  we  took  them  for  these, 
Cud  jo,  however,  knew  better  than  we  what  they  were,  for 
he  had  often  seen  them  while  fishing  in  the  creeks  of 
Virginia. 

"  '  Golly,  Massa  ! '  cried  he,  as  soon  as  they  made  their 
appearance  ;  '  de  creek  here  am  full  ob  de  turtle.' 

"  '  Turtles  ! '  exclaimed  Harry. 

"  '  Yes,  Massa  Harry,'  replied  Cudjo ;  '  and  as  dis  nigga 
lib,  de  am  de  real  soff-shell  turtle !  Dat's  de  meat  for  dis 
child  Cudjo, — better  dan  fish,  flesh,  fowl,  or  'possum, — dat 
am  de  soff-shell.' 

"  As  Cudjo  spoke,  one  of  the  turtles  '  bobbed  '  up  nearly 
under  where  we  sat ;  and,  from  the  elongated  shape  of  its 
head,'  resembling  a  sno>'t,  and  the  flexible  shell  that  bent  up 
and  down  along  its  edges,  as  he  swam,  I  saw  it  was  a  species 
of  trio7iyx,  or  soft-shelled  turtle — in  fact,  it  was  that  known  as 
trionyx  fefox,  the  most  prized  of  all  thti  turtle  race  for  the 
table  of  the  epicure.  Here,  then,  was  raiother  luxury  for  us, 
as  soon  as  we  could  catch  them. 

"  I  turned  round,  and  was  on  the  point  of  asking  Cudjo 
how  this  could  be  accomplished,  when  I  saw  that  my  float  went 
suddenly  down,  and  I  felt  a  pull  upon  the  line.  I  thought, 
of  course,  it  was  a  fish,  and  commenced  handling  it ;  but  to 
my  surprise,  on  bringing  it  to  the  surface,  I  perceived  that  I 
had  hooked  one  of  the  turtles,  and  no  doubt  the  same  one 
which  had  looked  up  at  us  but  a  moment  before.  He  was 
not  a  very  large  one,  and  we  soon  landed  him ;  when  Cudjo 
secured  him,  simply  by  turning  him  over  upon  his  back.  As 
I  learned  from  Cudjo,  these  creatures  will  eagerly  bite  at 
anything  that  may  be  thrown  into  the  water  and  appears 
strange  to  them.  Of  the  truth  of  this,  we  had  a  curious  dem- 
onstration shortly  afterwards. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  more,  each  of  us  had  taken  several 
good-sized  fish,  and  we  still  continued  watching  our  rods  in 
silence,  when  our  attention  was  attracted  to  the  movements 
of  an  animal  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and  about  one  hundred 
yards  below  where  we  sat.     We  were  all  well  acquainted 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  211 

with  this  animal ;  and  Harry,  the  moment  he  saw  it,  whis- 
pered,— 

"  '  Look,  papa  !  mamma  I  a  'coon !  * 

"  Yes,  it  was  a  raccoon.  There  was  no  mistaking  the 
broad,  dark-brown  back,  the  sharp,  fox-looking  face  and 
snout,  and  the  long,  bushy  tail,  with  its  alternate  rings  of 
black  and  yellowish  white.  The  short,  thick  legs,  the  erect 
ears,  and  the  white  and  black  marks  of  the  face,  were  fa- 
miliar to  all  of  us — for  the  raccoon  is  one  of  the  best-known 
animals  in  America,  and  we  had  it  among  our  pets. 

"  At  the  sight  of  the  '  coon,'  Cudjo's  eyes  fairly  glistened, 
for  there  is  no  animal  that  affords  so  much  sport  to  the 
negroes  of  the  United  States  as  the  'coon ;  and  he  is,  there- 
fore, to  them  as  interesting  a. creature  as  the  fox  to  the  red- 
coated  hunters  of  England.  Hunting  the  raccoon  is  one  of 
the  principal  amusements  which  the  poor  slave  enjoys,  in 
the  beautiful,  moonlight  nights  of  the  Southern  States,  after 
he  has  got  free  from  his  hard  toil.  By  them,  too,  the  flesh 
of  the  'coon  is  eaten,  although  it  is  not  esteemed  much  of  a 
dainty.  The  'possum  is  held  in  far  higher  estimation. 
Cudjo's  eyes,  then,  glistened  as  soon  as  he  set  them  upon 
his  old  and  familiar  victim. 

"  The  'coon  all  this  while  had  seen  none  of  us,  else  he 
would  soon  have  widened  the  distance  between  us  and  him- 
self. He  was  crawling  cautiously  along  the  bank  of  the 
creek  now  hopping  up  on  a  log,  and  now  stopping  for  a 
while,  and  looking  earnestly  into  the  water. 

"  *  De  ole  'coon  go  to  fish,*  whispered  Cudjo ;  *  dat's  what 
he  am  after.' 

"  '  Fish  ? '  said  Harry. 

"  *  Yes,  Massa  Harry.     He  fish  for  de  turtle.* 

"  *  And  how  will  he  catch  them  ? '  inquired  Harry. 

"  '  Golly,  Massa  Harry,  he  catch  'em.     Wait ;  you  see.* 

"'We  all  sat  quietly  watching  his  maneuvers,  and  curiouS 
to  witness  how  he  would  catch  the  turtles ;  for  none  of  us, 
with  the  exception  of  Cudjo,  knew  how.  We  knew  that.it  was 
not  likely  he  would  leap  at   them  in  the    water,  for  thes© 


212  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

animals  can  dive  as  quickly  as  a  fish ;  besides,  they  can 
bite  very  severely,  and  would  be  sure  to  take  a  piece  out  of 
the  'coon's  skin,  should  he  attack  them  in  their  own  element. 
But  that  was  not  his  intention,  as  we  presently  saw.  Near 
the  end  of  one  of  the  logs  that  protruded  into  the  water,  we 
observed  the  heads  of  several  turtles  moving  about  on  the 
surface.  The  raccoon  saw  them  also,  for  he  was  stealthily 
approaching  this  log  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  swimming 
reptiles.  On  reaching  it,  he  climbed  upon  it  with  great 
silence  and  caution.  He  then  placed  his  head  between  his 
fore  legs,  and,  turning  his  tail  towards  the  creek,  commenced 
crawling  down  the  log,  tail  foremost.  He  proceeded  slowly, 
bit  by  bit,  until  his  long,  bushy  tail  hung  over  several  inches 
into  the  water,  where  he  caused  it  to  move  gently  backwards, 
and  forwards.  His  body  was  rolled  up  into  a  sort  of  clew, 
until  one  could  not  have  told  what  sort  of  a  creature  was  on 
the  log. 

••  He  had  not  remained  many  moments  in  this  attitude, 
when  one  of  the  turtles,  swimming  about,  caught  sight  of  the 
moving  tail,  and,  attracted  partly  by  curiosity,  and  partly  in 
hopes  of  getting  something  to  eat,  approached,  and  seized 
hold  of  the  long  hair  in  his  horny  mandibles.  But  he  had 
scarce  caught  it  before  the  'coon  unwound  himself  upon  the 
log ;  and  at  the  same  time,  with  a  sudden  and  violent  jerk 
of  his  tail,  plucked  the  turtle  out  of  the  water,  and  flung  him 
high  and  dry  upon  the  bank.  Then  following  after,  in  three 
springs,  he  was  beside  his  victim,  which,  with  his  long, 
sharp  nose,  he  immediately  turned  over  upon  its  back,  taking 
care  all  the  while  to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with  the  bill- 
like snout  of  the  turtle.  The  latter  was  now  at  the  mercy  of 
the  'coon,  who  was  proceeding  to  demolish  him  in  his  usual 
fashion  ;  but  Cudjo  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  away  went 
he  and  the  dogs,  with  loud  shouts,  across  the  creek. 

"  The  chase  was  not  a  long  one ;  for,  in  a  few  seconds, 
the  steady  barking  of  the  dogs  told  us  that  poor  *  'coony  ' 
was  *  treed.'  Unfortunately  for  himself,  he  had  run  up  a  very 
low  tree,  where  Cudjo  was  able  to  reach  him  with  his  long 


tHE  DESERT   HOME.  3l3 

spear ;  and  when  the  rest  of  us  got  forward  to  the  spot,  we 
found  that  Cudjo  had  finished  him,  and  was  holding  him  up 
by  the  tail,  quite  dead. 

"  We  now  went  back  to  our  fishing ;  and  although  we 
caught  no  more  of  the  turtles,  we  succeeded  in  taking  as 
many  fish  as  we  wanted ;  and,  returning  to  the  house,  Mary 
cooked  for  us  a  most  excellent  fish  dinner  which  we  all  ale 
with  a  keen  appetite." 


£14  THE   DiiSLRT   HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

LITTLE    MARY    AND    THE    BEE. 

'•  During  the  winter,  we  saw  very  little  of  our  beavers. 
Through  the  cold  season,  they  lay  snug  in  their  houses — al- 
though not  in  a  state  of  torpidity,  as  the  beaver  does  not  be- 
come torpid  in  winter.  He  only  keeps  within  doors,  and 
spends  most  of  his  time  in  eating  and  sleeping ;  but  he  goes 
out  of  his  house  at  intervals,  to  wash  and  clean  himself ;  for 
the  beaver  is  an  animal  of  very  precise  habits.  He  is  not 
compelled,  however,  to  go  abroad  in  search  of  food.  As  we 
have  seen,  he  lays  up  a  stock,  which  serves  him  throughout 
the  cold  season. 

"  For  several  weeks,  in  midwinter,  the  dam  r.as  frozen  over, 
with  ice  strong  enough  to  bear  our  weight ;  and  we  visited 
the  houses  oi  the  beavers,  that  stood  up  like  so  many  hay- 
stacks. We  found  them  so  hard  and  firm,  that  we  could 
climb  upon  them,  and  pounce  down  upon  their  tops,  without 
the  least  danger  of  breaking  them  in.  In  fact,  it  would  have 
been  anything  but  an  easy  task  to  have  opened  one  of  them 
from  above  ;  and  no  animal — not  even  the  wolverene,  with 
his  crooked  claws — could  have  done  it.  We  observed  that, 
in  every  case,  the  doors  were  far  below  the  ice,  so  that  the 
entrance  still  remained  open  to  the  animals  within  ;  and,  more- 
over, when  any  one  stamped  heavily  upon  the  roof,  through 
the  clear  ice  we  could  see  the  frightened  creatures  making 
their  escape,  by  darting  off  into  the  water.  Sometimes  we 
remained  to  see  if  they  would  return,  but  in  no  instance  did 
they  come  back.  At  the  time,  we  wondered  at  this — as  we 
knew  they  could  not  possibly  live  under  the  ice,  where  there 
wa-s  no  air.  We  soon  fuund,  however,  that  these  cunning 
t»^^tures  knew  what  they  were  about,  and  that  they  had  al- 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  215 

ready  provided  means  to  escape  from  the  danger  of  h>eing 
drowned  in  this  manner.  Along  one  side  of  the  dam  there 
was  a  bank,  that  rose  considerably  above  the  water,  and  into 
this  bank  they  had  made  large  holes,  or,  as  they  are  termed, 
'  washes.'  These  were  so  constructed  that  the  entrances  to 
them  could  not  be  frozen  up ;  and  we  found  that,  whenever 
the  beavers  were  disturbed  or  frightened  from  their  houses, 
they  invariably  betook  themselves  to  these  washes,  where 
they  could  crawl  quietly  up  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  breathe  in  safety. 

"  This  was  the  proper  season  to  trap  the  beaver,  as  their 
fur  is  more  valuable  in  winter  than  at  any  other  time ;  but, 
as  I  have  already  said,  it  was  not  our  intention  to  disturb 
them,  until  they  should  become  very  numerous. 

"  The  ice  upon  the  dam  was  exceedingly  smooth,  and,  of 
course,  suggested  the  idea  of  skates.  Both  Frank  and  Harry 
were  very  fond  of  this  amusement,  and,  indeed,  I  was  rather 
partial  to  it  myself. 

"  Skates,  then,  must  be  had,  at  all  cost;  and  again  we  had 
recourse  to  the  bois  d'arc,  the  wood  of  which  was  suflEiciently 
light  and  compact  for  our  purpose.  Cudjo,  with  his  hammer 
and  a  good  hickory  fire  soon  drew  out  the  shoeing  for  them, 
making  it  very  thin — as  our  stock  of  iron  consisted  in  what 
we  had  taken  from  the  body  of  the  wagon,  and  was,  of  course, 
very  precious,  and  not  to  be  wasted  upon  articles  designed 
merely  for  amusement.  However,  we  knew  it  would  not  be 
lost  upon  the  skates  ;  and  we  could  take  it  from  them,  whenever 
we  should  want  to  apply  it  to  a  more  useful  purpose.  In  a 
short  tkne,  we  had  three  pairs ;  and,  strapping  them  firmly 
to  our  feet  with  strips  of  deer-skin,  were  soon  gliding  over 
the  dam,  and  spinning  around  the  beaver  houses,  no  doubt 
to  the  great  wonderment  of  suck  of  the  animals  as  came  out 
under  the  ice  to  look  at  us.  Mary,  with  Cudjo  and  the 
children,  stood  watching  us  from  the  shore,  and  clapping  their 
hands  with  delight. 

"  With  these  and  such  like  innocent  recreations,  we  passed 
the  winter  very  agreeably.     It  was  but  a  very  short  winter  •, 


2l6  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

and  as  soon  as  the  spring  returned,  Cudjo  with  his  wooden 
plow,  turned  up  our  Httle  field,  and  we  planted  our  corn. 
It  occupied  nearly  an  acre  of  ground ;  and  we  had  now  the 
pleasant  prospect  that,  in  six  weeks'  time,  we  should  gather 
about  fifty  bushels.  We  did  not  neglect  our  hundred  grains 
of  wheat,  but  sowed  that  carefully  in  a  corner  by  itself.  You 
may  fancy  that  it  did  not  take  up  much  ground.  Mary  had 
also  her  garden,  with  beds  of  wild  potatoes,  and  other  roots, 
which  she  had  discovered  in  the  valley.  One  of  these  was 
the  species  of  turnip  already  mentioned  as  XhQpof?ime-b/a/ic/ie, 
or  Indian  turnip.  She  had  found  wild  onions  too,  which 
proved  of  great  service  in  soup-making.  In  her  garden  were 
many  others,  of  which  I  only  know  the  names ;  but  three  of 
them,  the  '  kamas,'  the  kooyah,'  and  '  yampah,'  roots  are 
worth  mentioning,  as  thousands  of  the  miserable  Indians 
who  inhabit  the  American  Desert  subsist  chiefly  on  them. 
The  widely-scattered  tribes  known  as  the  '  Diggers '  take 
their  name  from  the  fact  of  their  digging  for,  and  living  upon, 
these  roots. 

"  The  flowers  now  came  out  in  full  bloom  ;  and  some  of 
the  openings  near  the  upper  end  of  the  valley  were  a  sight 
to  behold.  They  were  literally  covered  with  beautiful  blos- 
soms— 77talvas,  deomes  asckpias,  and  helianthi.  We  fre- 
quently visited  this  part,  making  picnic  excursions  to  all  the 
places  of  note  in  our  little  dominion.  The  cataract  where 
the  stream  dashed  over  the  cliff,  the  salt  spring,  and  such 
like  places,  formed  points  of  interest ;  and  we  rarely  failed 
in  any  of  these  excursions  to  draw  some  useful  lesson  from 
the  school  of  nature.  Indeed,  Mary  and  I  frequently  de- 
signed them,  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  our  children  in 
such  of  the  natural  sciences  as  we  ourselves  knew.  We  had 
no  books,  and  we  illustrated  our  teachings  by  the  objects 
around  us. 

■  "  One  day  we  had  strayed  up,  as  usual,  among  the  open- 
ings. It  was  very  early  in  the  spring,  just  as  the  flowers 
were  beginning  to  appear.  We  had  sat  down  to  rest  ourselves 
in  the  middle  of  a  glade,  surrounded  by  beautifu-  magno- 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  21/ 

lias.  There  was  a  bed  of  large  blue  flowers  close  by  ;  and 
Frank,  taking  little  Mary  by  the  hand,  h  :1  gone  in  among 
them  to  gather  a  bouquet  for  his  mother.  All  at  once  the 
child  uttered  a  scream,  and  then  continued  to  cry  loudly. 
Had  she  been  bitten  by  a  snake  ?  Alarmed  at  the  thought, 
we  all  started  to  our  feet,  and  ran  for  the  spot.  The  little 
creature  still  cried — holding  out  her  hand,  which  we  at  once 
perceived  was  the  seat  of  the  pain.  The  cause  of  it  was 
evident — she  had  been  stung  by  a  bee.  No  doubt  she  had 
clasped  a  flower  upon  which  some  bee  had  been  making  his 
honey,  and  the  angry  insect  had  punished  such  a  rude  inter- 
ference with  his  pleasures. 

"  As  soon  as  the  child  had  been  pacified  by  a  soothing 
application  to  the  wound,  a  train  of  reflection  occurred  to 
the  minds  of  all  of  us.  *  There  are  bees,  then,  in  the  place,' 
said  we.  We  had  not  known  this  fact  before.  In  the  au- 
tumn previous  we  had  been  too  busy  with  other  things  to 
notice  them  and,  of  course,  during  the  winter  season  they 
were  not  to  be  seen.  They  were  just  now  coming  out  for 
the  earty  spring  flowers, 

"It  was  natural  to  infer  that  where  there  were  bees, 
there  should  also  be  honey ;  and  the  word  *  honey '  had  a 
magic  sound  in  the  ears  of  our  little  community.  Bees  and 
honey  now  became  the  topic  of  conversation  ;  and  not  a  sen- 
tence was  uttered  for  some  minutes  that  did  not  contain  an 
allusion  to  bees,  or  bees'  nests,  or  bee  trees,  or  bee  hunters, 
or  honey. 

"  We  all  scattered  among  the  flowers  to  assure  ourselves 
that  it  really  was  a  bee,  and  not  some  rascally  wasp,  that  had 
wounded  our  little  Mary.  If  it  was  a  bee,  we  should  find 
some  of  his  companions  roaming  about  among  the  blossoms 
of  the  helianthus. 

"  In  a  short  time,  Harry  was  heard  crying  out,  *  A  bee !  a 
bee ! '  and  almost  at  the  same  instant  Frank  shouted,  '  An- 
other 1 '  '  Hya  !  hya  ! '  cried  Cudjo,  *  hyar's  de  oder  one — see 
'im  ! — biz-z-z.     Gollies  1  how  he  am  loaded  with  de  wax  !  ' 

"  Two  or  three  others  were  now  discovered,  all  busily  ply 


2l8  'THE   DESERT   HOME. 

ing  their  industrious  calling,  and  proving  that  there  was  one 
hive,  at  least,  in  some  part  of  the  valley. 

"  The  question  now  arose,  how  this  hive  was  to  be  found. 
No  doubt  it  was  in  some  hollow  tree — but  how  were  we  to 
tind  this  tree,  standing  as  it  likely  did  among  hundreds  of 
others,  and  not  differing  from  the  rest  in  appearanc  e  ?  This 
was  the  question  that  puzzled  us. 

''  It  did  not  puzzle  all  of  us,  though.  Fortunately,  there 
chanced  to  be  a  bee-hunter  among  us,  a  real  old  bee-hunter, 
and  that  individual  was  our  famous  Cudjo.  Cud  ^o  had  '  treed  ' 
bees  many'sthe  time  in  the  woods  of  '  Ole  Vaginny,'  and  cut 
down  the  trees,  too,  and  licked  the  honey — for  Cudjo  was  as 
sweet  upon  honey  as  a  bear.  Yes,  Cudjo  had  '  treed  '  bees 
many's  the  time,  and  knew  how — that  did  Cudjo. 

"  We  should  have  to  return  to  the  house,  however,  to  en- 
able him  to  make  ready  his  implements  ;  and  as  the  day  was 
now  pretty  far  advanced,  we  determined  to  leave  our  bee 
hunting  for  the  morrow.'' 


THE    DEbEKT    HOME. 


219 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

A   GRAND    BEE   HUNT. 

^  t^exT  day  we  had  a  warm,  sunshiny  day — just  such  a 
orxe  as  would  bring  the  bees  out.  After  breakfast,  we  all 
set  torrn  tor  the  openings,  in  high  spirits  at  the  prospect  of 
the  sport  we  should  have.  Harry  was  more  eager  than  any 
of  us.  He  had  heard  a  good  deal  about  bee-hunters,  and 
was  very  desirous  of  knowing  how  they  pursued  their  craft. 
He  could  easiiv  understand  how,  when  a  bee  tree  was  once 
found,  ir  could  be  cut  down  with  an  ax,  and  split  open,  and 
the  honey  taken  irom  it.  All  this  would  be  very  easily  done. 
But  how  were  bee  trees  found  ?  That  was  the  puzzle,  for, 
as  I  have  before  observed,  these  trees  do  not  differ  in  ap- 
pearance from  otaers  around  them  ;  and  the  hole  by  which 
the  bees  enter  is  usually  so  high  up,  that'  one  cannot  see 
these  little  nisects  irom  the  ground.  One  ii^ight  tell  it  to  be 
a  bee's  nesr,,  if  his  attention  were  called  to  \ ;  for  the  bark 
around  the  entrance,  like  that  of  the  squirrel's,  is  always 
discolored,  lu  consequence  of  the  bees  alighting  upon  it  with 
their  moist  1  jet.  bur  then,  one  may  travel  a  long  while 
through  the  woods  before  chancing  to  notice  this.  Bee- 
trees  are  sometimes  found  by  accident ;  but  the  regular  bee- 
hunter  does  not  depend  upon  this,  else  his  calling  would  be 
a  very  uncertain  one.  There  is  no  accident  in  the  way  he 
goes  to  work.  He  see/^s  for  the  nest,  and  is  almost  sure  to 
find  it — provided  the  ground  be  open  enough  to  enable  him 
to  execute  his  maneuvers.  I  may  here  remark,  that,  where- 
ever  bees  take  uptlicir  abode,  there  are  generally  open  tracts 
in  their  neighborhood,  or  else  flower-bearing  trees — since  in 
very  thick  woods,  unc'cr  the  deep,  dark  shadow  of  the  foli- 
age, flowers  are  more  x  -^re,  and  consequently  the  food  of  the 


i2b  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

bees  more  difficult  to  be  obtained.  These  creatures  love  the 
bright  glades  and  sunny  openings,  often  met  with  in  the  prairie 
k)rests  of  the  wild  west. 

"Well,  as  I  have  said,  we  were  all  eager  to  witness  how 
our  bee-hunter,  Cudjo,  would  set  about  finding  the  bee-tree 
— for  up  to  this  time  he  had  kept  the  secret  to  himself,  to 
the  great  tantalization  of  Harry,  whose  impatience  had  now 
reached  its  maximum  of  endurance.  The  implements  which 
Cudjo  had  brought  along  with  him — or,  as  he  called  them, 
the  '  fixins ' — were  exceedingly  simple  in  their  character. 
They  consisted  of  a  drinking-glass,— fortunately,  we  had  one 
that  had  traveled  safely  in  our  own  great  mess  chest, — a 
cupful  of  maple  molasses,  and  a  few  tufts  of  white  wool  taken 
from  the  tail  of  a  rabbit.  '  How  was  he  going  to  use  these 
things?'  thought 'Harry,  and  so  did  we  all — for  none  of  us 
knew  anything  of  the  process,  and  Cudjo  seemed  determined 
to  keep  quiet  about  his  plans,  until  he  should  give  us  a 
practical  illustration  of  them. 

"  At  length  we  arrived  at  the  glades,  and  entered  one  of 
the  largest  of  them,  where  we  halted.  Pompo  was  taken  from 
the  cart,  and  picketed  upon  the  grass  ;  and  we  all  followed 
Cudjo,  observing  every  movement  that  he  made.  Harry's 
eyes  were  on  him  like  a  lynx,  for  he  feared  lest  Cudjo  might 
go  through  some  part  of  the  operation  without  his  seeing  or 
understanding  it.  He  watched  him,  therefore,  as  closely  as 
if  Cudjo  had  been  a  conjurer  and  was  about  to  perform  some 
trick.  The  latter  said  nothing,  but  went  silently  to  work — 
evidently  not  a  little  proud  of  his  peculiar  knowledge,  and 
the  interest  which  he  was  exciting  by  it. 

•'  There  was  a  dead  log  near  one  edge  of  the  opening. 
To  this  the  bee-hunter  proceeded,  and,  drawing  out  his  knife, 
scraped  off  a  small  portion  of  the  rough  bark,  so  as  to  render 
the  surface  smooth  and  even.  Only  a  few  sciuare  inches  of 
the  log  were  thus  polished  and  Leveled.  1  hot  would  be 
enough  for  his  purpose.  Upon  the  spot  thus  prepared,  I'ke 
poured  out  a  quantity  of  the  molasses, — a  small  quantity, — 
forming  a  little  circle  about  the  size  of  a  penny  piece.     He 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  221 

next  took  the  glass,  and  wiped  it  with  the  skirt  of  his  coat 
until  it  was  as  clear  as  a  diamond.  He  then  proceeded 
among  the  flowers  in  search  of  a  bee.     ~ 

"  O.ne  was  soon  discovered  nestling  upon  the  blossom  of  a 
helianthus.  Cudjo  approached  it  stealthily,  and  with  an 
adroit  movement,  inverted  the  glass  upon  it,  so  as  to  enclose 
both  bee  and  flower  ;  at  the  same  instant  one  of  his  hands — 
upon  which  was  a  strong  buckskin  glove — was  slipped  under 
the  mouth  of  the  glass,  to  prevent  the  bee  from  getting  out ; 
and  nipping  the  flower  stalk  between  his  fingers,  he  bore  off 
both  the  bee  and  the  blossom. 

"  On  arriving  at  the  log,  the  flower  was  taken  out  of  the 
glass  by  a  dexterous  movement,  and  thrown  away.  The  bee 
still  remained,  buzzing  up  against  the  bottom  of  the  glass — 
which,  of  course,  was  now  the  top,  for  Cudjo  had  held  it  all 
the  while  inverted  on  his  palm.  The  glass  was  then  set  upon 
the  log,  mouth  downwards,  so  as  to  cover  the  little  spot  of 
molasses  ;  and  it  was  thus  left,  while  we  all  stood  around  to 
watch  it. 

"  The  bee,  still  frightened  by  his  captivity,  for  some  time 
kept  circling  around  the  upper  part  of  the  glass — seeking, 
very  naturally,  for  an  egress  in  that  direction.  His  whirring 
wings,  however,  soon  came  in  contact  with  the  top  of  the 
vessel,  and  he  was  flung  down  right  into  the  molasses. 
There  was  not  enough  of  the  '  treacle '  to  hold  him  fast,  but, 
having  once  tasted  of  its  sweets,  he  showed  no  disposition 
to  leave  it.  On  the  contrary,  he  seemed  to  forget  all  at 
once  that  he  was  a  captive  ;  and  thrusting  his  proboscis  into 
the  honeyed  liquid,  he  set  about  drinking  it  like  a  good 
fellow. 

"  Cudjo  did  not  molest  him  until  he  had  fairly  gorged 
himself  ;  then,  drawing  him  gently  aside  with  the  rim  of  the 
glass,  he  separated  him  from  his  banquet.  He  had  removed 
his  gloves,  and  cautiously  inserting  his  na^e^h^Lud,  he  caught 
tlie  bee — which  was  now  somewhat  heavy  and  stupid — be- 
between  his  thumb  and  forefinger.  He  then  raised  it  from 
the  log,  and  turning  it  breast  upward,  with  his  other  hand  he 


222  THE  DESERT  HOME. 

attached  a  small  tuft  of  the  rabbit  wool  to  the  legs  of  the  in- 
sect. The  glutinous  paste  with  which  its  thighs  were  loaded 
enabled  him  to  effect  this  the  more  easily.  The  wool,  which 
was  exceedingly  light,  was  now  '  flaxed  out,'  in  order  to 
make  it  show  as  much  as  possible,  while  at  the  same  time, 
it  was  so  arranged  as  not  to  come  in  contact  witii  the  wings 
of  the  bee  and  hinder  its  flight.  All  this  did  Cudjo  with  an 
expertness  which  surprised  us,  and  would  have  surprised 
any  one  who  was  a  stranger  to  the  craft  of  the  bee-hunter. 
He  performed  every  operation  with  great  nicety,  taking  care 
not  to  cripple  the  insect ;  and,  indeed,  he  did  not  injure  it 
in  the  least — for  Cudjo's  fingers,  although  none  of  the 
smallest,  were  as  delicate  in  the  touch  as  those  of  a  fine 
lady. 

"  When  everything  was  arranged,  he  placed  the  bee  upon 
the  log  again,  laying  it  down  very  gently. 

"  The  little  creature  seemed  quite  astounded  at  the  odd 
treatment  which  he  was  receiving,  and  for  a  few  seconds  re- 
mained motionless  upon  the  log ;  but  a  warm  sunbeam  glanc- 
ing down  upon  it,  soon  restored  it  to  its  senses  ;  and,  per- 
ceiving that  it  was  once  more  free,  it  stretched  its  translucent 
wings,  and  rose  suddenly  into  the  air.  It  mounted  straight 
upward,  to  a  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  then  com- 
menced circling  around,  as  we  could  see  by  the  white  wool 
that  streamed  after  it. 

"  It  was  now  that  Cudjo's  eyes  rolled  in  good  earnest. 
The  puplis  seemed  to  be  dilated  to  twice  their  usual  size,  and 
the  great  balls  appeared  to  tumble  about  in  their  sockets,  as 
if  there  was  nothing  to  hold  them.  His  head,  too,  seemed 
to  revolve,  as  if  his  short,  thick  neck  had  been  suddenly 
converted  into  a  well-greased  pivot,  and  endowed  with  rotary 
motion. 

"  After  making  several  circles  though  the  air,  the  insect 
darted  off  for  the  woods.  We  followed  it  with  our  eyes  as 
long  as  we  could ;  but  the  white  tuft  was  soon  lost  in  the 
distance,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  it.  We  noticed  that  it  had 
gone  in  a  straight  line,  which  the  bee  always   follows   when 


THE   DESERT   HOME. 


223 


returning  loaded  to  his  hive — hence  an  expression  often  heurd 
m  western  America,  the '  bee  Une,'and  which  has  its  syno- 
nym in  England  in  the  phrase,  'as  the  crow  flies.'  Cudjo 
knew  it  would  keep  on  in  this  line  until  it  had  reached  the 
tree  where  its, nest  was ;  consequently,  he  was  now  in  pos- 
session of  one  link  in  the  chain  of  his  discovery — the  direc- 
tion of  the  bee-tree  fro7n  the  point  where  ive  stood. 

''  But  would  this  be  enough  to  enable  him  to  find  it  ?  Evi- 
dently VI ot.  The  bee  might  stop  on  the  very  edge  of  the 
woods,  or  it  might  go  twenty  yards  beyond,  or  fifty,  01 
perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  without  coming  to  its  tree.  Il 
was  plain,  then,  to  all  of  us,  that  the  line  in  which  the  tree  hiy 
was  not  enough,  as  without  some  other  guide  one  might  have 
searched  along  this  line  for  a  week  without  finding  the  nest. 

''  All  this  knew  Cudjo  before  ;  and,  of  course,  he  did  not 
stop  a  moment  to  reflect  upon  it  then.  He  had  carefully 
noted  the  direction  taken  by  the  insect,  which  he  had  as 
carefully  '  marked  '  by  the  trunk  of  a  tree  which  grew  on  the 
edge  of  the  glade,  and  in  the  line  of  the  bee's  flight.  An- 
other '  mark '  was  still  necessary  to  record  the  latter  and 
make  things  sure.  To  do  this,  Cudjo  stooped  down,  and 
with  his  knife  cut  an  oblong  notch  upon  the  bark  of  the  log, 
which  pointed  lengthwise  in  the  direction  the  bee  had  taken. 
This  he  executed  with  great  precision.  He  next  proceeded 
to  the  tree  which  he  had  used  as  a  marker,  and  '  blazed  '  it 
\v^ith  his  ax. 

"  '  What  next  1 '  thought  we.  Cudjo  was  not  long  in  show- 
nig  us  what  was  to  be  next.  Another  log  was  selected,  at  a 
point  at  least  two  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  former 
one.  A  portion  of  this  was  scraped  in  a  similar  manner,  and 
molasses  poured  upon  the  clear  spot  as  before.  Another  bee 
was  caught,  Imprisoned  under  the  glass,  fed,  hoppled  with 
woolj  and  then  let  go  again.  To  our  astonishment,  this  one 
flew  off  in  a  direction  nearly  opposite  to  that  taken  by  the 
former. 

"  '  Neber  mind,'  said  Cudjo  ;  '  so  much  de  better — two 
bee-tree  better  than  one.' 


22  4  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

"  Cudjo  marked  the  direction  which  the  latter  had  taken, 
precisely  as  he  had  done  with  the  other. 

"  Without  changing  the  log,  a  third  bee  was  caught  and 
'  put  through.'  This  one  took  a  new  route,  different  from 
either  of  his  predecessors. 

"  '  GolUes !  Massa  !  '  cried  Cudjo  ;  '  dis  valley  am  full  ob 
honey.  Three  bee-trees  at  one  stand  ! '  And  he  again  made 
his  record  upon  the  log. 

"  A  fourth  bee  was  caught,  and,  after  undergoing  the 
ceremony,  let  go  again.  This  one  evidently  belonged  to  the 
same  hive  as  the  first,  for  we  saw  that  it  flew  towards  the 
same  point  in  the  woods.  The  direction  was  carefully  noted 
as  before.  A  clew  was  now  found  to  the  whereabouts  of 
one  hive — that  of  the  ^rsf  and  fourth  bees.  That  was 
enough  for  the  present.  As  to  the  second  and  third,  the 
records  which  Cudjo  had  marked  against  them  would  stand 
good  for  the  morrow  or  any  other  day ;  and  he  proceeded  to 
complete  the  '  hunt '  after  the  nest  of  Nos.  i  and  4. 

"  We  had  all  by  this  time  acquired  an  insight  into  the 
meaning  of  Cudjo's  maneuvers,  and  we  were  able  to  assist 
him.  The  exact  point  where  the  bee-tree  grew  was  nov/ 
determined.  It  stood  at  the  point  where  the  two  lines  made 
by  bees  Nos.  i  and  4  met  each  other.  It  would  be  found  at 
the  very  apex  of  this  angle — wherever  it  was.  But  that  was 
the  next  difficulty — to  get  at  this  point.  There  would  have 
been  no  difficulty  about  it,  had  the  ground  been  open,  or  so 
that  we  could  have  seen  to  a  sufficient  distance  through  the 
woods.  This  could  have  been  easily  accomplished  by  two 
of  us  stationing  ourselves, — one  at  each  of  the  two  logs, — 
while  a  third  individual  moved  along  either  of  the  lines. 
The  moment  this  third  person  should  appear  on  both  lines 
at  once,  he  would  of  course  be  at  the  point  of  intersection ; 
and  at  this  point  the  bee-tree  would  be  found.  I  shall  ex- 
plain this  by  a  diagram. 

"  Suppose  that  A  and  C  were  the  two  logs,  trom  which 
the  bees  Nos.  i  and  4  had  respectively  taken  their  flight ; 
and  suppose  A  B  and  C  B  to  be  the  directions  in  which  they 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  22$ 

haci  ^one.  If  they  went  directly  home, — whhh  it  was  to  be 
presumed  they  both  did, — they  would  meet  at  their  nest  at 
some  point  B.  This  point  could  not  be  discovered  by  see- 
ing the  bees  meeting  at  it,  for  they  were  alrea'^ly  lost  sight 
of  at  short  distances  from  A  and  C.  But  witho'it  this,  had 
the  ground  been  clear  of  timber,  we  could  easily  have  found 
it  in  the  following  manner  :  I  should  have  placed  myself  at 
log  A,  while  Cudjo  stationed  himself  at  C.  We  should  then 
have  sent  one  of  the  boys — say  Harry — along  the  line  A 
D.  This,  you  must  observe,  is  a  fixed  line,  for  D  was 
already  a]  marked  point.  After  reaching  D,  Harry  should 
continue  on,  keeping  in  the  same  line.  The  moment,  there- 
fore, that  he  came  under  the  eye  of  Cudjo, — who  would  be 
all  this  while  glancing  along  C  E,  also  a  fixed  line, — he 
would  then  be  on  both  lines  at  once,  and  consequently  at 
their  point  of  intersection.  This,  by  all  the  laws  of  bee 
hunting,  would  be  the  place  to  find  the  nest ;  and,  as  I  have 
said,  we  could  easily  have  found  it  thus,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  trees.  But  these  intercepted  our  view,  and  therein  lay 
the  difficulty ;  for  the  moment  Harry  should  have  passed 
the  point  D,  where  the  underwood  began,  he  would  have 
been  lost  to  our  sight,  and,  of  course,  of  no  further  use  in 
establishing  the  point  B. 

"  For  myself,  I  could  not  see  clearly  how  this  difficulty 
was  to  be  got  over — as  the  woods  beyond  D  and  E  were 
thick  and  tangled.  The  thing  was  no  puzzle  to  Cudjo,  hov/- 
ever.  He  knew  a  way  of  finding  B,  and  the  bee-tree  as  well, 
and  he  went  about  it  at  once. 

"  Placing  one  of  the  boys  at  the  station  A,  so  that  he  could 
see  him  over  the  grass,  he  shouldered  his  ax,  and  moved  off 
along  the  line  A  D.  He  entered  the  woods  at  D,  and  kept 
on  until  he  had  found  a  tree  from  which  both  A  and  D  were 
visible,  and  which  lay  exactly  in  the  same  line.  This  tree  he 
*  blazed.'  He  then  moved  a  little  farther,  and  blazed  another, 
and  another, — all  on  the  continuation  of  the  line  A  D,— nn- 
til  we  could  hear  him  chopping  away  at  a  good  distan  ^e  in 
the  woods.  Presently  he  returned  to  the  point  E ;  and,  y  U 
15 


226  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

ing  to  one  of  us  to  stand  for  a  moment  at  C,  he  conimeftt-ed 
*  blazing  '  backwards,  on  the  continuation  of  C  E.  We  now 
joined  him — as  our  presence  at  the  logs  was  no  longer  neces- 
sary to  his  operations. 

"  At  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  edge 
of  the  glade,  the  blazed  lines  was  seen  to  approach  each 
other.  There  were  several  very  large  trees  at  this  point. 
Cudjo's  *  instinct '  told  him,  that  in  one  of  these  the  bees  had 
their  nest.  He  flung  down  his  ax  ^t  length,  and  rolled  his 
eyes  upwards.  We  all  took  part  in  the  search,  and  gazed 
up  trying  to  discover  the  little  insects  that,  no  doubt,  were 
winging  their  way  among  the  high  branches. 

"  In  a  few  moments,  however,  a  loud  and  joyful  exclama- 
tion from  Cudjo  proclaimed  that  the  hunt  was  over — the  bee- 
tree  was  foimd  ! 

*'  True  enough,  there  was  the  nest,  or  the  entrance  that 
led  to  it,  away  high  up  on  a  giant  sycamore.  We  could  see 
the  discoloration  on  the  bark,  caused  by  the  feet  of  the  bees, 
and  even  the  little  creatures  themselves  crowding  out  and  in. 
It  was  a  large  tree,  with  a  cavity  at  the  bottom  big  enough 
to  have  admitted  a  full-sized  man,  and,  no  doubt,  hollow  up 
to  the  place  where  the  bees  had  constructed  their  nest. 

"  As  we  had  spent  many  hours  in  finding  it,  and  the  day 
was  now  well  advanced,  we  concluded  to  leave  further  opera- 
tions for  the  morrow,  when  we  should  fell  it,  and  procure  the 
delicious  honey.  With  this  determination,  and  well  satisfied 
with  ovm:  day's  amusement,  we  returned  to  our  house." 


THE   DESERT    HUME.  227 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

A    RIVAL    HONEY    ROBBER. 

"  Now  there  were  some  circumstances  to  be  considered, 
before  we  could  proceed  any  further  in  the  matter  of  the 
bees.  How  were  we  to  get  at  the  honey  ?  *  Why,  by  felHng 
the  tree,  and  spHtting  it  open,  of  course,'  you  will  say.  Well, 
that  would  have  to  be  done,  too ;  but  there  was  still  another 
consideration.  It  is  no  very  difhcult  matter  to  fell  a  tree, 
and  split  it  up, — that  is,  when  one  has  a  good  ax, — but  it  is 
a  very  different  affair  to  take  the  honeycombs  from  some 
eight  or  ten  thousand  bees,  every  one  of  them  with  a  sharp 
sting  in  his  tail.  We  had  no  brimstone  ;  and  if  we  had  had 
such  a  thing,  they  were  well  out  of  the  reach  of  it,  while  the 
tree  stood ;  and  after  it  should  be  felled,  we  could  not  ap- 
proach them.     They  would  then  be  furious  to  a  certainty. 

"  But  Cudjo's  knowledge  of  bee  hunting  extended  further 
than  to  the  mere  finding  of  the  tree.  He  knew,  also,  how  to 
humbug  the  bees,  and  rob  them  of  their  sweet  honey.  That 
was  a  part  of  the  performance  that  Cudjo  understood  as  well 
as  any  other.  According  to  his  directions,  then,  two  pairs 
of  stout  buckskin  gloves  were  prepared.  We  chanced  to 
have  one  pair  already,  and  Mary  soon  stitched  up  a  second, 
of  the  kind  generally  used  for  weeding  thistles — that  is,  hav- 
ing only  a  thumb,  and  a  place  for  ail  the  fingers  together. 
One  pair  of  the  gloves  Cudjo  intended  to  use  himself — the 
other  was  for  me.  Of  course,  the  rest  were  to  take  no  part  in 
the  robbery,  but  only  to  stand  at  a  safe  distance  and  look  on. 

"  In  addition  to  the  gloves,  a  couple  of  masks  were  cut 
out  of  elk  hide,  and  with  strings  fitted  to  our  faces.  These, 
with  our  thick  deerskin  oxercoats,  would  protect  us  against 
the  stings  of  all  the  bees  in  creation, 


228  >,IE    DESERT    HOME. 

"  Thus  accourered.  then,  or  rather  taking  these  articles 
along  with  us,  we  set  g jt  for  the  bee-tree.  Of  course,  every- 
body went  as  usual.  We  took  with  us  the  ax  to  cut  down 
the  tree,  and  several  vessels  to  hold  the  honey. 

"  '  On  arriving  at  the  glade,  we  loosed  Pompo  out  of  the 
cart,  and  picketed  him,  as  we  had  done  the  day  before.  It 
would  not  do  to  bring  Aim  any  nearer  the  scene  of  action. 
as  the  bees  might  takw  a  fancy  to  revenge  themselves  by 
stinging  him.  We  theu  took  our  *  fixings  '  from  the  cart,  and 
proceeded  to  the  tree.  In  a  few  moments,  we  stood  by  its 
foot. 

"  On  looking  up,  we  observed  that  there  was  an  unusual 
commotion  among  the  bees.  They  were  whirring  in  large 
numbers  around  the  entrance  of  their  nest,  and  swarming 
out  and  in.  As  the  day  was  very  still,  we  could  hear  them 
buzzing  loudly.  What  could  it  mean  ?  Were  they  going  to 
hive? 

"  Cudjo  thought  not.  It  was  too  early  in  the  season  for 
that.  And  yet  their  actions  were  strange.  He  could  not 
understand  it. 

"  '  Dey  look,  Massa,'  said  he  after  gazing  at  them  for 
some  moments — '  dey  look  zackly  like  some  varmint  war  a- 
vexin'  ob  'em.' 

"  So  did  they,  but  no  '  varmint '  appeared  to  be  near  their 
hole  ;  and  no  animal,  however  thick  in  the  skin,  would  have 
ventured  into  it,  as  we  thought.  The  orifice  was  not  over 
three  inches  in  diameter,  and  we  knew  that  neither  squirrel, 
marten,  nor  weasel  would  have  dared  to  put  a  nose  into  it. 
What,  then,  could  have  so  excited  them  ? 

"  We  observed  that  it  was  a  warm  day, — the  warmest  we 
had  had  up  to  that  time, — and  probably  the  heat  had  set 
them  a-going.  With  this  explanation,  therefore,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  a  better,  we  remained  satisfied,  and  commenced 
making  our   preparations  to  fell  the  tree. 

"  It  was  not  likely  to  be  a  difficult  job.  The  tree,  as  I 
have  said,  was  a  hollow  one ;  and  near  the  ground  its  trunk 
was  nothing  but  a  mere  shell,  which  we  could  easily  cut 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  229 

through.  So  Cudjo  went  lustily  to  work  with  his  ax  ;  and 
the  white  sycamore  chips  were  soon  flying  in  every  direction. 

*'  He  had  hardly  made  a  dozen  strokes,  when  w^e  were 
startled  by  a  singular  noise,  that  sounded  something  like  a 
'cross,  between  a  growl  and  a  snort. 

'i  Cudjo  immediately  suspended  his  blows  ;  and  we  all  stood 
gazing  at  each  other  with  looks  that  betokened  surprise 
and  terror.  I  say  terror — for  the  noise  had  something 
terrible  in  it ;  and  we  knew  it  could  have  proceeded  from 
nothing  else  than  some  large  and  fierce  animal.  Whence 
did  it  come  ? — from  the  woods  ?  We  looked  anxiously  around 
us,  but  no  motion  could  be  observed  in  the  bramble.  The 
underwood  was  thin  ;  and  we  could  have  seen  a  large  animal 
at  some  distance,  had  such  been  there. 

"  Again  the  horrid  sound  echoed  in  our  ears.  It  appeared 
to  issue  out  of  the  earth!     No — it  came   out  of  the  tt-ee  ! 

"  '  Golly  !  '  exclaimed  Cudjo  ;  '  it  am  a  bar,  Massa  Roff !  I 
know  him  growl.' 

"  'A  bear !  '  I  ejaculated,  catching  the  thought  at  the  same 
moment.  '  A  bear  in  the  bee-tree  !  Run,  Mary  !  run  for  the 
glade ! ' — and  I  hurried  my  wife  and  children  from  the  spot. 
Harry  and  Frank  both  wished  to  remain  with  their  rifles, 
and  I  could  hardly  get  them  off.  I  induced  them  to  go,  at 
length,  by  telling  them  that  they  must  stay  near  their  mother 
and  the  little  ones,  to  guard  them  in  case  the  animal  should 
come  that  way.  All  this  occupied  but  a  few  seconds  of 
time,  and  then  Cudjo  and  I  were  left  to  ourselves. 

"  It  was  evident  that  a  bear  was  up  the  hollow  of  the  tree, 
and  hence  the  flurry  among  the  bees.  Cudjo's  ax  had 
disturbed  him — he  was  coming  down ! 

*'  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Could  we  not  close  up  the  hole  ? 
No — there  was  nothing — w^e  should  be  too  late ! 

"  I  seized  my  rifle,  while  Cudjo  stood  by  with  his  ax. 
I  cocked  the  piece,  and  made  ready  to  fire  the  moment  his 
head  should  appear.  To  our  astonishment,  instead  of  a 
head,  a  shapeless  mass  of  shaggy,  black  hair  made  its  ap- 
pearance, which  we  saw  was  the  rump  and  hind  quarters    o; 


230  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

the  animal.  He  was  coming  down  tail  foremost — although 
not  a  bit  of  tail  was  to  be  seen,  for  he  had  none. 

"  We  did  not  stop  to  examine  that.  T  fired  as  soon  as 
his  hips  made  their  appearance,  and  almost  at  the  same  in- 
stant Cudjo  deal  them  a  hearty  blow  with  his  ax.  It  was 
enough  to  have  killed  him,  as  we  thought  ;  but  to  our  surprise, 
the  hind  quarters  suddenly  disappeared.  He  had  gone  up 
the  tree  again. 

"  What  next  ?  Would  he  turn  himself  in  the  hollow,  and 
come  down  head  foremost  ?  If  so,  my  rifle  was^empty,  and 
Cudjo  might  miss  his  blow  and  let  him  pass  out. 

*'  All  at  once,  my  eye  fell  upon  the  two  great  deerskin 
coats  that  were  lying  on  the  ground  close  by.  They  would 
be  large  enough,  properly  rolled,  to  fill  the  mouth  of  the 
cavity.  I  threw  aside  my  rifle,  and  laid  hold  of  them. 
Cudjo  assisted  me.  In  a  second  or  two,  we  had  gathered 
them  into  a  hard  'clump,'  arid  wedged  them  into  the  hole. 
They  fitted  it  exactly. 

"  We  saw  blood  streaming  down  as  we  stuffed  in  the  coats. 
The  bear  was  wounded.  It  was  not  likely,  then,  that  he 
would  trouble  us  for  a  while  ;  and  as  one  watched  the  coats, 
the  other  brought  up  great  stones,  which  we  piled  against 
them,  until  we  had  made  all  secure. 

"  We  now  ran  around  the  tree,  looking  up  the  trunk,  to 
assure  ourselves  that  there  was  no  opening  above  through 
which  he  might  creep  out  and  come  down  upon  us.  No, 
there  was  none,  except  the  bee  hole,  and  that  was  not  big 
enough  for  his  nose,  sharp  as  it  was.  Bruin  was  fairly  in 
the  trap.' 

"  I  knew  that  Mary  and  the  rest  would  be  uneasy  about 
us ;  and  I  ran  out  to  the  glade  to  make  known  our  success. 
The  boys  cheered  loudly  ;  and  we  all  returned  together  to 
the  tree,  as  there  was  now  no  danger — no  more  than  if  there 
hadn't  been  a  bear  nearer  to  us  than  the  North  Pole. 

"  We  had  him  now,  so  that  there  was  no  fear  of  his 
escaping.  But  how  were  we  to  get  at  him  ? — for  we  had 
determined  to  take  his  hfe.     Such  a  fierce  creature  as   this 


THE    DKSEkl'    IIO.MK.  23I 

must  not  be  allowed  to  get  off  ;  as  he  would  soon  have  settled 
with  one  of  us,  had  he  met  us  on  anything  like  equal  terms. 
I  had  thought,  at  first,  he  might  be  a  grizzly  bear,  and  this 
had  terrified  me  the  more — for  the  killing  of  one  of  these  fierce 
animals  with  a  shot  is  next  to  an  impossibility.  When  I  re- 
flected, however,  I  knew  it  could  not  be  this;  for  the  'grizzly,' 
unlike  his  sable  cousin,  is  not  a  tree  climber.  It  was 
the  black  bear,  then,  that  we  had  got  in  the  tree. 

"  But  how  were  we  to  reach  him  ?  Leave  him  where  he 
was,  and  let  him  starve  to  death  ?  No,  that  would  never  do. 
He  would  eat  all  the  fine  stock  of  honey ;  if,  indeed,  he  had  not 
done  so  already.  Moreover,  he  might  scrape  his  way  out, 
by  enlarging  the  bee  hole.  This  he  could  do  with  his  great, 
sharp  claws.     We  must  therefore  adopt  some  other  plan. 

"  It  occurred  to  us  that  it  was  just  probable  he  might  be 
down  at  the  bottom,  poking  his  nose  against  the  coats.  We 
could  not  tell,  for  there  was  no  longer  any  growling.  He 
was  either  ^oo  angry,  or  too  badly  scared,  to  growl— we 
could  not  say  which.  At  all  events,  he  was  not  uttering  a 
sound.  He  might,  nevertheless,  be  as  close  to  us  at  the 
moment  as  he  could  get.  If  so,  our  plan  would  be  to  cut  a 
small  hole  in  the  tree  above  him,  so  that  we  might  reach 
him  with  a  bullet  from  the  rifle.  This  pk  .  was  adopted, 
and  Cudjo  set  to  work  to  make  the  hole. 

"  In  a  few  minutes,  the  thin  shell  was  penetrated,  and  we 
could  see  into  the  cavity.  Bruin  was  nowhere  visible — he 
was  still  up  the  tree.  The  <  taste  of  our  quality,'  which  he 
had  had  on  his  first  descent,  had  evidently  robbed  hiin  of  all 
inclination  to  try  a  second.     What  next  ? 

"  '  Smoke  'im  1 '  cried  Cudjo  ; '  dat  fotch  'im  down.' 

"  The  very  thing ;  but  how  were  we  to  do  it  ?  By  pushing 
dead  leaves  and  grass  through  the  hole  Cudjo  had  cut,  and 
tken  setting  them  on  fire.  But  our  coats — they  mi^ht  be 
burnt.  These  we  could  first  remove,  putting  great  stones  in 
their  place  ;  and  w^e  proceeded  to  do  so.  In  a  few  minutes, 
that  was  accomplished ;  the  grass  and  leaves  were  stuifed 
in  ;  some  tufts  were  set  on  fire  and  thrust  through ;  more 


2$2  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

rubbisli  was  piled  on  top,  until  it  reached  up  on  a  level  with 
the  hole ;  and  then  the  hole  was  closed  with  a  bundle  of 
grass,  so  as  to  prevent  the  smoke  from  escaping. 

"In  a  few  moments,  we  saw  that  everything  was  pro- 
gressing as  we  had  intended  it.  A  blue  rope  of  smoke  came 
oozing  out  of  the  bee  hole,  and  the  terrified  bees  swarmed 
out  in  clusters.  We  had  not  thought  of  this  before,  else  we 
might  have  saved  ourselves  the  trouble  of  making  the  gloves 
and  masks. 

"  Bruin  now  began  to  give  tongue.  We  could  hear  him, 
high  up  the  tree,  snarling  and  growling  fiercely.  Every  now 
and  then  he  uttered  a  loud  snort,  that  sounded  very  like  an 
asthmatic  cough.  After  a  while,  his  growls  changed  into  a 
whine,  then  a  hideous  moan,  and  then  the  sounds  ceased  alto- 
gether. The  next  moment  we  heard  a  dull  concussion,  as  of 
a  heavy  body  falling  to  the  earth.  We  knew  it  was  the  bear, 
as  he  tumbled  from  his  perch. 

''We  waited  for  some  minutes.  The  was  no  longer  any 
stir — no  sound  issued  from  the  tree.  We  removed  the  grass 
from  the  upper  hole.  A  thick  volume  of  smoke  rolled  out. 
The  bear  must  be  dead.  No  creature  could  live  in  such  an 
atmosphere.  I  introduced  my  ramrod  through  the  opening. 
I  could  feel  the  soft,  hairy  body  of  the  animal,  but  it  was, 
limber  and  motionless.  It  was  dead.  Feeling  convinced  of 
this,  at  length,  we  removed  the  rocks  below,  and  dragged 
it  forth.  Yes,  the  bear  was  dead — or,  at  all  events,  very 
like  it;  but,  to  make  the  thing  sure,  Cudjo  gave  him  a  knock 
on  the  head  with  his  ax.  His  long,  shaggy  hair  was 
literally  filled  with  dead  and  dying  bees  that,  like  himself 
had  been  suffocated  with  the  smoke,  and  had  fallen  from 
their  combs. 

"  We  had  hardly  settled  the  question  of  the  bear,  when 
our  attention  was  called  to  another  circumstance,  which  was 
likely  to  trouble  us.  We  perceived  that  the  tree  was  on 
fire.  The  decayed  heartwood  that  lined  the  cavity  inside 
had  caught  fire  from  the  blazing  grass,  and  was  now  crack- 
ling away  like  fury.     Our  honey  would  be  lost  I 


TH^    DESERT    HOME.  233 

"  *  This  was  a  grievous  finale,  after  all — in  short,  a  com- 
plete disappointment  to  our  hopes,  for  we  had  calculated  on 
having  honey  on  our  table  at  supper. 

"  What  could  we  do  to  save  it  ?  But  one  thing,  that  waa 
evident — cut  down  the  tree  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  then 
cut  it  through  again  between  the  fire  and  the  bees'  nest. 

"  Should  we  have  time  for  all  this  ?  The  fire  was  already 
high  up ;  and  the  draught,  since  we  had  opened  the  holes 
below,  whizzed  up  the  cavity,  as  through  a  funnel. 

"  Seeing  this,  we  closed  them  again  ;  and  Cudjo  went  to 
work  with  his  ax,  cutting  all  around  the  tree.  And  the  way 
he  did  ply  that  ax  !  he  seemed  to  have  a  wager  against  time. 
It  was  beautiful  to  see  the  style  in  which  the  chips  flew. 

"  At  length  the  tree  began  to  crack,  and  we  all  stood  out 
from  it,  except  Cudjo,  who  understood  which  way  it  would 
fall,  and  was  not  afraid  of  being  crushed.  Not  he  ;  for 
Cudjo  could  *  lay '  a  tree  wherever  it  was  wanted,  to  the 
breadth  of  a  hair. 

"  '■  Cr-r-r-ack  ! — cr-r-r-r-ash !  '  said  the  great  sycamore ;  and 
down  it  came,  shivering  its  branches  into  a  hundred  sticks 
as  it  fell. 

"  It  had  scarcely  touched  the  ground,  when  we  saw  Cudjo 
attack  it  at  another  point  with  his  ax,  as  though  it  were 
some  great  monster,  and  he  was  trying  to  cut  off  its  head. 

'^  In  a  few  minutes  more,  he  had  laid  open  the  cavity,  close 
to  the  combs  ;  and,  to  our  great  satisfaction,  we  saw  that  the 
fire  had  not  3'ct  reached  them.  They  were  well  smoked, 
however,  and  completely  deserted  by  the  bees;  so  that 
we  used  neither  the  masks  nor  gloves  in  gathering  the 
honey.  Bruin  had  been  before  us  ;  but  he  had  not  been 
long  at  his  meal  when  we  intruded  upon  him,  as  only  one  or 
two  of  the  combs  were  missing.  Enough  was  left.  It  was 
evidently  a  very  old  hive,  and  there  was  honey  enough  to 
fill  all  the  vessels  we  had  brought  with  us. 

"  We  bundled  the  bear  into  the  cart, — as  both  his 
hams  and  skin  were  worth  the  trouble, — and  leaving  the  old 
sycamore  to  burn  out,  we  turned  our  faces  homeward." 


234  THE   DESERl'    HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  EATTI.E  OF  THE  BUCKS. 

"  The  main  ol)ject  we  had  in  view  was  not  yet  acc«m- 
plished.  With  the  exception  of  our  flock  of  turkeys,  none 
of  the  pets  we  had  tamed  coukl  contribute  to  our  support. 
vVe  wished  to  capture  some  of  the  deer  species,  and  for  tliis 
purpose  we  had  thought  of  various  expedients.  We  Iiad 
seen  the  fawns  once  or  twice  following  their  mothers ;  but 
we  had  failed  in  coming  up  with  them,  although  we  had 
made  several  hunting  excursions  for  that  purpose.  At 
length,  however,  instead  of  a  fawn,  we  very  unexpectedly 
captured  a  couple  of  old  bucks,  of  the  red  deer  species. 
The  circumstances  of  this  capture  were  somewhat  singular; 
and  I  shall  detail  them  minutely  as  they  occurred. 

"  We  had  gone  out  one  day,  Harry  and  myself,  in  search 
of  the  deer,  and  in  hopes  that  we  might  be  able  to  start  and 
run  down  a  fawn  with  the  dogs  Castor  and  Pollux.  For 
this  we  had  muzzled  both,  so  that  they  should  not  tear  the 
fawn  when  they  came  up  with  it,  as  I  had  often  seen  grey- 
hounds muzzled  at  home  for  the  same  purpose.  We  went 
up  the  valley  where  we  would  be  most  likely  to  fall  in  with 
the  objects  of  our  search ;  but  not  knowing  how  soon  a  deer 
might  start  out  of  the  bushes,  we  walked  along  very  silently 
and  slowly,  watching  the  woods  before  us,  and  listening  to 
every  sound.  At  length  we  arrived  near  the  edge  of  a  small 
opening,  as  we  could  tell  by  the  clear  breaks  through  the 
branches.  It  was  in  these  glades  or  openings  that  we  us- 
ually fell  in  with  the  deer ;  and  we  advanced  with  increased 
caution,  eacli  of  us  holding  a  dog  in  the  leash  which  we  had 
made  for  them.  All  at  once  a  singular  noise  reached  our 
ears,  evidently  coming  from  the  glade,     It  sounded  as  if 


THE    DESERT    IIU.ME.  235 

several  large  animals  were  stamping  furiously  over  the  firm 
turf ;  but  in  the  midst  of  this  there  was  a  constant  cracking 
of  some  hard  substances,  as  if  half  a  dozen  men  were  playing 
with  eagerness  at  the  game  of  singlestick.  Every  now  and 
then  we  could  hear  a  strange  sound,  short  and  tierce,  like 
the  snorting  of  a  horse.  Of  course,  Harry  and  I  stopped  in 
our  tracks  the  moment  we  first  heard  these  singular  noises. 
Our  dogs  cocked  their  ears,  and  wanted  to  spring  forward  ; 
but  we  held  them  both  tightly  on  their  strings,  while  we 
Ustened.  For  the  life  of  us,  neither  I  nor  my  companion 
could  guess  what  was  going  on  in  the  glade. 

"  '  What  can  it  be,  papa  ? '  said  Harry, 

" '  I  haven't  the  slightest  idea,'  replied  I. 

"  '  It  must  be  animals,'  said  he  ;  '  and  a  good  many  of 
them,  too,  to  make  so  much  stamping.  Papa,  is  not  that 
the  snort  of  a  deer  ?  I  think  I  have  heard  deer  make  just 
such  a  noise.' 

"  '  May  be  it  is.  Perhaps  it  may  be  elk  ;  but  what  can 
cause  such  a  commotion  among  them,  I  wonder  ? ' 

"  '  What  think  you,'  suggested  Harry,  '  if  they  are  fighting 
with  some  animal — a  panther,  or  perhaps  a  bear  ?  * 

"  '  If  so,'  said  I,  '  our  best  plan  would  be  to  get  back  the 
road  we  came,  and  that  as  speedily  as  possible.  But  I  do 
not  think  it  is  that.  They  would  not  stand  to  light  such 
creatures.  Both  elk  and  deer  trust  to  their  heels,  rather 
than  horns,  to  escape  from  bears  and  panthers.  No,  it  is 
not  that ;  but  let  us  creep  forward  and  see  what  it  is,  any- 
how.    Hold  fast  to  your  dog.     Come  !  ' 

"  We  crouched  forward  with  the  utmost  caution,  taking 
care  not  to  tread  upon  the  dry  leaves  and  dead  branches 
that  lay  across  our  track.  We  saw  before  us  a  thicket  of 
pawpaws ;  and  we  made  towards  this,  knowing  that  the 
broad,  green  leaves  of  these  bushes  would  screen  us.  We 
were  soon  among  them  ;  and  a  few  paces  farther  through  the 
thicket  brought  us  in  full  view  of  the  glade.  There  we  saw 
what  had  caused  all  the  strange  noises,  and  which  still  con- 
tinued as  loud  as  ever. 


236  THE  DESERT  HOME. 

"  In  the  middle  of  the  glade,  there  were  six  red  deer. 
They  were  all  bucks,  as  we  could  easily  tell  from  their  great, 
branching  antlers.  They  were  engaged  in  fierce  and  ter- 
rible conflict — son>,etimes  two  and  two,  and  sometimes  three 
or  four  of  them,  clumped  together  in  a  sort  of  general  m^/Se, 
Then  they  would  separate  again ;  and  going  some  distance 
apart,  would  wheel  suddenly  about,  and  rush  at  each  other 
with  furious  snorts,  first  striking  forward  with  their  fore  feet 
held  close  together,  and  then  goring  one  another  with  their 
sharp  horns,  until  we  could  see  the  skin  torn  open,  and  the 
hair  flying  from  them  in  tufts.  Their  eyes  were  flashing  like 
fire,  and  their  whole  actions  betokened  that  the  animals  were 
filled  with  rage  and  fury. 

"  I  saw  at  once  what  all  this  meant.  It  was  now  the  rut- 
ting season ;  and  these  chivalrous  bucks  were  engaged  in 
desperate  combat  about  some  fair  doe,  as  is  their  yearly 
habit. 

"  They  were  too  distant  for  either  Harry's  rifle  or  mine ; 
and  thinking  they  might  fight  themselves  a  little  nearer,  we 
determined  to  remain  where  we  were  and  watch.  The  com- 
bat still  continued  to  rage  furiously.  Sometimes  two  of 
them  came  together  v;ith  such  violence  that  both  went  roll- 
ing over  to  the  earth ;  but  in  a  moment  they  would  up  and 
at  it  again  as  fiercely  as  ever. 

"Our  attention  was  particularly  directed  to  two  of  the 
combatants,  that  were  larger  and  older  than  any  of  the 
others — as  we  could  tell  from  the  greater  number  of  points 
upon  their  antlers.  None  of  the  others  seemed  a  match  for 
either  of  these  two,  who  had  at  length  singled  each  other 
out  as  worthy  antagonists,  and  fought  separately.  After 
goring  and  stamping  a  while,  they  parted,^as  if  by  mutual 
consent, — and  walked  backward,  until  they  had  got  at  least 
twenty  yards  from  each  other.  Then  setting  their  necks, 
and  putting  all  their  energy  into  the  rush,  they  dashed  for- 
ward, and  met  head  to  head,  like  a  couple  of  rams.  There 
was  a  terrible  crashing  among  their  antlers  ;  and  Harry  and 
I  looked  to  see  whether  a  pair  of  them  had  not  been  knocked 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  237 

off  in  the  concussion  ;  but  it  appeared  not.  After  this,  the 
two  struggled  for  a  while,  and  then  suddenly  paused, — still 
head  to  head,  as  though  by  a  tacit  agreement, — in  order  to 
take  breath.  For  some  moments  they  stood  quietly  in  this 
attitude,  and  then  once  more  commenced  struggling.  After 
a  while  they  stopped  again,  still  keeping  their  heads  together, 
so  that  their  red,  expanded  nostrils  steamed  into  each  other. 
We  thought  that  they  fought  quite  differently  from  all  the 
rest ;  but  our  eyes  were  now  drawn  to  the  others,  who  were 
getting  nearer  us ;  and  we  prepared  our  rifles  to  receive 
them.  At  length  they  came  within  range  and,  each  of  us 
choosing  one,  we  fired  almost  simultaneously.  At  the 
double  crack,  one  of  the  bucks  fell ;  and  the  other  three,  on 
perceiving  the  common  enemy,  immediately  desisted  from 
their  mutual  warfare,  and  bounded  off  like  lightning.  Harry 
and  I  rushed  forward,  as  we  had  fired  ;  and  thinking  that 
the  deer  which  we  had  missed — it  was  Harry's  miss  that 
time — might  be  wounded,  we  unmuzzled  the  dogs,  and  let 
them  after.  Of  course,  we  had  stooped  down  to  perform 
this  operation.  What  was  our  surprise,  on  looking  up  again, 
to  see  the  two  old  bucks  still  in  the  glade,  and  fighting,  head 
to  head,  as  briskly  as  ever  1 

"Our  first  thought  was  to  reload  our  pieces  ;  but  the  dogs 
had  been  let  loose,  and  these,  instead  of  pursuing  the  other 
deer,  dashed  forward  at  the  bucks,  and  the  next  moment 
sprang  upon  their  flanks.  Harry  and  I  rushed  after,  and 
you  may  guess  that  our  surprise  was  still  further  increased 
when  we  saw  the  bucks,  instead  of  separating,  still  struggle 
head  to  head — as  if  their  desperate  hostility  for  each  other 
had  rendered  them  reckless  of  every  other  danger.  When 
we  got  forward  to  the  spot,  the  mastiffs  had  brought  both  of 
them  to  their  knees  ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time  we  perceived 
the  true  cause  why  they  had  continued  their  singular  com- 
bat— because  they  could  not  help  themselves  ;  their  antlers 
were  locked  in  each  other  ! — yes,  held  as  firmly  as  if  they  had 
been  lashed  together  by  thongs  cut  out  of  their  own  hides. 
Indeed,  far  more  firmly,  for  after  we  had  beaten  off  the  dogs. 


^3S  THE  DESERT  HOME. 

and  secured  the  animals  from  the  chance  of  escaping,  we 
found  their  horns  so  interlocked — one  pair  within  the 
other — that  we  could  not  separate  them  with  all  our  efforts. 
We  had  sadly  wronged  the  poor  old  bucks,  in  believing 
them  so  desperately  pugnacious.  Their  hostile  feelings  for 
each  other  had  long  since  ceased, — no  doubt  the  moment 
they  found  themselves  in  such  a  terrible  fix, — and  they  now 
stood,  nose  to  nose,  quite  frightened-like,  and  '  down  in  the 
mouth,'  as  if  vexed  at  the  mess  they  had  got  themselves  into 
by  their  bad  behavior. 

Harry  and  I,  after  much  pulling  and  hammering,  found  it 
quite  impossible  to  make  two  of  them.  The  antlers,  which, 
as  you  know,  are  elastic,  had  bent  with  the  terrible  concus- 
sion we  had  witnessed  ;  and  it  Avas  far  beyond  our  strength 
to  bend  them  back  again.  In  fart,  nothing  but  a  machine 
of  horse  power  could  have  accomplished  that.  I  sent  my 
companion,  therefore,  after  Cudjo  and  his  handsaw — at  the 
same  time  directing  him  to  bring  the  horse  and  cart,  for  the 
carcass  of  the  buck  we  had  shot,  as  well  as  some  ropes  for 
our  captives.  While  he  was  gone,  I  employed  my  time  in 
skinning  the  dead  animal,  leaving  his  live  companions  to 
themselves :  I  had  no  fear  of  their  being  able  to  escape. 
Cowed  and  sullen  as  both  of  them  looked,  it  was  well  for 
them — since  we  did  not  mean  to  butcher  them — that  we  had 
arrived  upon  the  ground  as  we  did,  otherwise  their  fate  was 
-a  settled  one.  The  wolves,  or  some  other  of  their  numer- 
ous enemies,  would  have  treated  them  worse  than  we  in- 
tended to  do ;  or  had  they  not  been  discovered  by  these, 
their  doom  was  sealed  all  the  same.  They  might  have  twisted 
and  wriggled  about  for  2  few  days  longer,  to  die  of  thirst 
and  hunger,  still  locked  in  that  hostile  embrace.  Such  is 
the  fate  of  many  of  these  animals. 

"  Cudjo  soon  arrived  with  the  necessary  implements  ;  and 
after  hoppling  both  the  bucks,  we  sawed  one  of  the  branches 
from  their  antlers,  and  ?et  them  asunder.  We  then  put  all 
three  into  the  cart,  and  returned  triumphant  to  the  house." 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  »39 


CHAPTER  XXXVIL 


THE    PIT   TRAP. 


"  CuDjo  had  already  completed  our  deer  park,  which  con- 
sisted of  several  acres,  partly  woodland,  and  part  of  it  being 
in  the  glade  immediately  adjoining  the  house.  It  was  en- 
closed, on  all  sides,  by  a  ten-rail  fence,  with  stakes  and 
riders,  so  that  no  animal  of  the  deer  species  could  possibly 
leap  out  of  it.  One  of  its  sides  lay  along  the  lake  ;  and  a 
trench  had  been  cut,  so  as  to  admit  a  small  pond  of  w^ater 
within  the  enclosure.  Into  this  our  bucks  were  put,  and  left 
to  enjoy  themselves  as  they  best  might. 

"  The  next  anxiety  of  Harry  and  myself  was  to  procure  a 
doe  or  two,  to  keep  them  company.  There  was  no  likeli- 
hood that  we  should  capture  a  pair  of  does  as  we  had  just 
done  the  bucks — since  the  does  of  this  species  of  deer  are 
without  the  great  antlers.  How,  then,  should  we  get  hold 
of  one  ?  That  was  what  puzzled  us,  and  set  all  our  wits  to 
work. 

"  As  we  sat  around  the  log  fire,  in  the  evenings,  we  talked 
the  matter  over  and  over  again.  We  might  shoot  one  that 
had  the  fawns  following  at  her  heels  ;  and  we  knew  we 
could  then  easily  take  them — as  these  affectionate  little 
creatures  always  remain  by  their  mother,  even  after  she  has 
fallen  by  the  bullet  of  the  hunter's  rifle.  But  this  was  a 
cruel  expedient ;  and  mamma,  who,  of  course,  overheard  us 
planning  the  thing,  at  once  entered  her  protest  against  iu 
wSo,  too,  did  Frank,  for  he  was  of  a  very  gentle  nature  ;  and, 
as  you  might  say,  could  not  endure  to  see  a  fly  killed,  ex- 
cept when  strict  necessity  required  it.  Yet,  withal,  this  same 
Frank,  and  mamma,  who  were  entomologists,  as  well  as  orni- 
diclogists  and  botanists,  had  killed  many  a  fly — as  might  be 


240  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

seen  by  looking  at  a  large  frame  hung  against  the  wall,  where 
all  sorts  of  flies,  and  moths,  and  great,  bright  butterflies  were 
empaled  upon  the  sharp  thorns  of  the  locust.  I  am  afraid 
that  neither  mamma  nor  Frank  could  have  defended  the  point 
very  gracefully,  with  so  contradictory  an  argument  hanging 
against  the  wall.  Harry  and  I,  however,  did  not  contem- 
plate the  adoption  of  this  plan — as  we  knew  that  the  fawns 
would  be  a  long  time  in  growing  up,  and  we  wanted  an  old 
doe  or  two  at  once. 

"  '  Can  we  not  trap  them  ? '  asked  Harry.  '  Why  not  take 
them  in  a  trap  as  Frank  did  the  turkeys  ? ' 

"  '  I  am  afraid  you  would  not  easily  get  deer  into  such  a 
trap  as  that  where  the  turkeys  were  caught. 

"  '  But,  papa,'  continued  Harry,  '  I  have  read  of  other 
kinds  of  traps.  One  I  remember  well.  It  is  made  by  build- 
ing a  large  enclosure,  just  like  our  park,  only  leaving  a  gap, 
and  then  having  two  fences,  that  run  out  from  this  gap  far 
into  the  woods,  and  opening  like  the  legs  of  a  pair  of  com- 
passes. The  deer  are  driven  between  these  two  fences,  and 
into  the  gap,  when  the  hunters  follow,  and  close  them  in.  I 
think  that  looks  very  easy  to  be  done.     How  if  we  try  it  ? ' 

"  '  It  would  not  do  at  all.  In  the  first  place,  it  would  take 
us  several  weeks  to  split  rails  enough  to  make  the  fences 
sufficiently  long  ;  and,  secondly,  we  should  require  men,  and 
dogs,  and  horses,  more  than  we  have,  to  run  the  deer  in  the 
right  direction.  All  this  we  might  manage,  it  is  true,  by  un- 
dergoing a  great  deal  of  trouble ;  but  I  think  I  know  a  sort 
of  trap  that  will  serve  our  purpose  better.' 

"  '  O,  you  do.     I  am  glad.     What  kind,  papa  ?  * 
J     "  '  You  remember  where  we  noticed  so  many  deer  tracks 
fuYining  between  two  large  trees  ? ' 

"  *  Yes,  yes  ;  near  the  salt  spring.  You  said  it'was  a  path 
used  by  the  deer,  and  other  animals,  when  they  went  to  lick 
the  salt  from  the  rocks  below.' 

" '  Well — between  those  two  trees  let  us  dig  a  pit,  and 
cover  it  over  with  branches,  and  grass,  and  leaves.  Then 
(we  shall  see.     What  think  you  I ' 


THE   DESERT   HOME,  i24l 

"  *  0,  a  pit  trap  1  that's  the  very  thing  ! ' 

"  Next  morning,  with  our  spade  and  ax,  Cudjo,  Pompo, 
and  the  cart,  we  set  forth.  We  were  soon  upon  the  ground, 
and  commenced  operations.  We  first  marked  out  the  size 
of  the  pit — which  was  to  be  eight  feet  long,  and  to  extend  in 
width  from  tree  to  tree,  as  near  to  both  as  we  could  conveni- 
ently get  for  the  great  roots.  Cudjo  then  set  to  work  with 
his  spade,  while  I  handled  the  ax  and  cut  off  the  spreading 
roots  as  they  were  laid  bare.  Harry,  meanwhile,  employed 
himself  with  the  hatchet  in  getting  long,  slender  saplings  and 
canes  to  cover  in  the  pit.  We  threw  the  earth  into  the  cart, 
and  hauled  it  off  some  distance  into  the  woods — taking  care 
not  to  spill  much  of  it  around  the  place.  Fortunately,  the 
ground  was  very  soft,  and  easily  dug  up,  so  that,  in  about 
five  hours'  time,  we  had  excavated  a  square  hole  at  least 
seven  feet  deep.  '  This  would  do,'  thought  we.  *  No  deer 
could  leap  out  of  that  hole,  we  were  certain.' 

"  We  now  placed  the  saplings  across  the  top,  and  over 
these  a  thin  stratum  of  cane  reeds,  and  above  all  this  a 
quantity  of  long  grass  and  withered  leaves — so  as  to  make 
it  look  as  like  as  possible  to  the  rest  of  the  surface  around 
it.  We  then  removed  the  clods  and  other  marks  of  our 
work,  put  our  implements  into  the  cart,  and  started  off  home 
again.  Of  course,  we  could  do  nothing  more  than  wait 
until  some  unlucky  deer  should  drop  into  the  pit. 

"  By  sunrise,  on  the  following  morning,  we  paid  a  visit  to 
our  trap.  As  we  drew  near,  we  saw  to  our  great  ;oy  that 
the  top  was  broken  in. 

"  '  We  have  caught  something,  papa,"  said  Harry,  as  we 
ran  eagerly  up  to  the  ground.  What  was  our  astonishment, 
on  looking  into  the  pit,  to  see  lying  along  the  bottom  the 
naked  skeleton  of  an  animal,  which  we  knew  at  once  was 
that  of  a  deer !  We  knew  this  by  the  horns,  as  well  as 
pieces  of  the  torn  skin  that  were  strewed  all  over  the  ground. 
All  around  the  inside  of  the  trap,  there  were  evidences  of 
some  terrible  struggle  that  had  taken  place  during  the  ni^ht; 
and  the  reeds  and  grass  that  had  fallen  in  along  witt  *he 
*^         16 


^4^  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

animal  ^^cre  sprinkled  with.blood,  and  trampled  down  upon 
the  bottom  of  the  pit. 

"  *  What  can  it  be  ? '  inquired  Harry,  as  we  stood  gazing 
at  this  unexpected  picture.  *  Ha  !  papa,  I'll  wager  it  was 
the  wolves ! ' 

-  "  *  No  doubt,'  replied  I  ;  '  it  must  have  been  they.  The 
buck  has  fallen  in  during  the  night ;  and  they  have  just 
leaped  down  upon  the  top,  and  made  a  meal  of  him.' 

"  '  Isn't  it  too  bad,'  said  Harry,  in  a  tone  of  vexation, 
'  that  we  should  have  constructed  so  fine  a  trap  just  to  ac- 
commodate those  rascally  wolves  ?     Isn't  it  too  bad  ?  " 

*' '  Have  a  little  patience,'  said  I.  '  We  shall  see  what 
can  be  done  to  punish  the  ravenous  brutes.  Run  back  to 
the  house,  and  bring  Cudjo,  with  his  cart  and  tools.  Be 
sure  you  tell  him  to  bring  the  large  basket.' 

"  In  a  short  time,  Cudjo  came  with  his  spade  and  cart, 
and  we  set  freshly  to  w^ork  upon  the  pit.  It  was  now  so  deep 
that  we  had  to  use  the  large  willow  basket  which  Cudjo  had 
made  some  time  before.  This  we  slung  upon  a  thong  of 
deer's  hide ;  and  lowering  it  into  the  pit,  we  filled  it  with 
the  earth,  drew  it  up  again,  and  emptied  it  into  the  cart.  It 
was  somew^iat  laborious  work;  and  Cudjo  and  I  took  turns 
about  with  the  basket  and  spade.  After  a  couple  of  hours 
or  so,  we  had  added  four  feet  to  the  depth  of  our  pit,  which 
made  it  twelve  in  all.  Of  course,  we  cut  the  sides  as  nearly 
perpendicular  as  we  could — if  anything,  a  little  hanging 
over.  We  covered  it  as  before,  putting  fresh  leaves  and  grass 
on  the  top  of  all. 

"  '  Now,*  said  we  to  one  another,  as  we  marched  off,  '  let 
us  see  the  wolf  that  will  leap  out  of  that,  should  he  be  only 
fool  enough  to  drop  into  it.  Pie  may  kill  the  deer  wh'le  he 
is  in,  but  we  shall  do  the  same  for  him  in  the  morning.' 

"  Next  morning  we  started  forth  again,  big  with  expecta- 
tion. Our  whole  party  went, — Frank,  Mary,  and  the  little 
ones, — as  they  were  ail  eager  to  see  the  trap,  and  whether 
we  had  taken  anything.  Cudjo  brought  with  him  his  long 
spear,  while  Harry  and  I  carried  oiir  ritlcs.     Frank  armed 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  243 

himself  with  his  bow.  We  were  prepared  for  the  wolves 
every  way. 

"  As  we  drew  near  the  trap,  Harry,  who  had  gone  a  few 
paces  in  advance  of  the  rest,  came  running  back  to  announce 
that  the  top  was  broken  in,  and  that  there  was  some  animal 
inside.  This  was  great  news  ;  and  we  all  hurried  forward, 
nlled,  with  the  excitement  of  expectation.  We  were  soon 
upon  the  spot  and  looking  down  into  the  pit.  The  hole  that 
had  been  made  through  the  grass  covering  was  not  a  very 
large  one,  and  it  appeared  quite  dark  inside ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  the  darkness,  we  could  distinguish  the  shining  eyes 
of  animals.  There  were  more  than  one  pair, — there  were 
several, — all  looking  up  at  us,  and  glittering  like  coals  of  fire  ! 
'  What  sort  could  they  be?'  asked  we  of  one  another. 
'  Were  they  wolves  ?     Yes,  they  must  be  wolves.' 

"  Putting  the  rest  to  one  side,  I  knelt  down,  and,  stretching 
my  neck  over  the  hole,  looked  steadily  in.  I  was  not  long 
in  this  position  until  I  counted  no  less  than  six  pairs  of  eyes  ; 
and,  to  my  great  surprise,  these  eyes  were  of  various  shapes 
and  colors.  The  trap  appeared  to  be  full  of  animals  of  all 
sorts ! 

"  At  this  moment,  the  thought  entered  my  head  that  there 
might  be  a  panther  among  the  rest ;  and  as  I  knew  that  he 
could  easily  spring  out,  I  became  somewhat  alarmed,  and 
hastily  rose  to  my  feet.  I  directed  Mary  to  get  into  the  cart 
along  with  the  children  ;  and  we  then  led  them  off  to  some 
distance  out  of  the  way,  until  we  should  assure  ourselves  as 
to  what  sort  of  creatures  were  our  captives.  We  returned  to 
the  trap,  and  cautiously  removing  a  quantity  of  the  grass,  so 
as  to  admit  the  light,  we  again  looked  down.  To  our  great 
delight  the  first  animal  we  could  distinguish  was  the  very  one 
for  which  we  had  made  the  pit, — a  red  doe, — and,  still  better, 
among  her  legs  we  saw  two  beautiful  spotted  creatures  of  a 
light  cinnamon  color,  which  we  at  once  recognized  as  fawns. 
We  then  looked  around  the  pit  for  the  others  whose  eyes  I 
had  seen  ;  and  there,  crouching  in  the  darkest  corners,  we 
^aw  three  bodies  of  ?  reddisli-brown  color,  closely  squatted 


244  THE  DESERT   HOME. 

like  so  many  foxc..  But  they  were  not  foxes ;  thf^y  were 
wolves,  as  we  knew  well — three  wolves,  of  the  barking  or 
prairie  species.  They  were  not  likely  to  bark  any  more, 
although  they  howled  a  bit,  as  Cudjo  reached  them  with  his 
long  spear,  and  finished  them  in  a  trice. 

"  Mary  was  now  brought  back ;  and  Cudjo,  descending 
into  the  pit  secured  the  doe  and  fawns,  which  were  soon 
hoisted  up  and  put  into  the  cart.  The  wolves  were  also 
flung  out  and  dragged  off  to  some  distance,  and  the  trap  was 
again  put  in  order  for  further  captures  ;  after  which  we  all 
returned  to  our  house,  pleased  with  the  valuable  addition  we 
had  made  to  our  stock.  We  were  not  much  less  pleased  at 
having  destroyed  the  three  wolves — for  these  animals  are 
very  plenty  in  the  valley,  and,  ever  since  our  arrival,  had 
caused  us  much  annoyance.  A  piece  of  meat  could  net  be 
left  outside  without  being  carried  off  by  them  ;  and  even  since 
the  capture  of  our  two  bucks,  they  had  several  times  chased 
them  through  the  park,  until  the  noise  made  by  the  snorting 
of  the  latter  had  brought  our  dogs,  and  some  of  us  along 
with  them,  to  their  rescue. 

"  But  the  most  curious  circumstance  connected  with  this 
affair  was,  why  these  wolves  had  left  the  doe  and  her  fawns 
unmolested.  They  could  have  killed  the  three  in  a  moment's 
time  ;  yet  not  a  hair  was  ruffled  upon  any  of  them  !  This 
strange  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  wolves  puzzled  us  all  at 
the  time ;  and  we  could  not  offer  even  a  probable  conjecture  as 
to  its  caused  We  found  it  out  afterwards,  however,  when  we 
became  better  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  these  animals. 
We  found  that,  of  the  wild  creaturjes  that  inhabited  our  valley, 
the  prairie-wolf  was  by  far  the  most  sagacious  of  all.  Even 
sly  Reynard  himself,  who  has  been  so  long  famous  for  his 
craft  and  cunning,  is  but  a  stupid  when  compared  to  his  own 
cousin,  the  barking  wolf.  This  we  proved  satisfactorily, 
when  we  endeavored  afterwards  to  trap  these  animals.  We 
first  tried  them  with  a  *  cage  trap,'  similar  to  that  which 
Frank  had  used  in  taking  his  turkeys.  We  baited  it  inside 
with  a  nice  piece  of  venison  j  but  although  we  saw  tracks  all 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  245 

around,  and  particularly  on  that  side  nearest  to  the  bait,  not 
one  of  the  wolves  had  cared  to  venture  up  the  funnei-shaped 
entrance.  We  next  laid  a  bait  with  snares  around  it,  made 
out  of  the  sinews  of  the  deer.  We  found  the  bait  gone,  and 
the  snares  gnawed  to  pieces,  as  though  the  rats  had  done  it ; 
but  we  knew  by  the  tracks  that  it  was  no  other  animals  than 
the  prairie-wolves.  Our  next  attempt  was  with  a  '  figure-of- 
four '  trap.  It  was  constructed  with  a  large,  shallow  crate, 
made  of  split  rails,  and  set  leaning  diagonally  with  its  mouth 
downwards.  It  was  held  in  that  position  with  a  regular 
staying  and  triggers — just  as  Frank  and  Harry  used  to  set 
their  traps  to  catch  small  birds.  The  bait  was  placed  under- 
neath, upon  the  staying,  in  the  most  tempting  manner  we 
could  think  of.  On  returning  to  examine  our  trap  in  the 
morning,  we  saw,  as  we  came  near,  that  it  was  down.  '  We 
have  caught  one  of  them  at  last,'  thought  we.  What  was 
our  astonishment  to  find,  on  the  contrary,  that  there  was  no 
wolf  under  the  trap,  and,  moreover,  that  the  bait  was  gone  ! 
This  was  easily  explained.  A  large  hole  had  been  scraped 
under  the  trap,  which,  running  for  some  distance  under- 
ground, came  out  upon  the  outside.  But  the  most  singular 
part  of  the  business  was,  that  this  hole  had  evidently  been 
burrowed  before  the  trigger  had  been  touched  or  the  trap 
had  fallen.  We  could  tell  this,  because  the  hole  was  made 
from  the  outside,  and  through  it  the  animal  had  most  likely 
entered.  Of  course,  in  laying  hold  of  the  bait  the  trigger 
was  sprung,  and  the  trap  fell ;  but  it  was  of  no  use  then,  as 
the  wolf  had  only  to  crawl  out  through  the  subterranean  road 
he  had  made,  dragging  the  meat  along  with  him. 

"  We  again  tried  the  *  pit  trap  ' — although  we  still  had  the 
one  which  he  had  made  near  the  salt  springs,  and  in  which 
we  afterwards  from  time  to  time  caught  deer  and  other 
animals,  but  no  wolves.  We  made  another,  however,  at  a 
different  part  of  the  valley,  near  some  caves  where  we  knew 
the  wolves  were  in  great  plenty.  We  baited  this,  first  placing 
some  venison  upon  the  covering  of  leaves,  and  afterwards 
putting  one  of  our  live  bucks  into  the  pit ;  but  in  both  cases 


246  TH1-:  ]>KoKKr  Home. 

the  bail  remained  untouclied,  although,  we  had  sufficient 
evidence  that  wolves  had  been  around  it  all  the  night. 

"  We  were  very  much  chagrined  by  these  numerous 
disappointments,  as  we  wanted  to  thin  oft"  the  wolves  as 
much  as  possible.  We  occasionally  shot  an  odd  one  or  two, 
but  we  as  often  missed  them ;  and  we  could  not  afford  to 
waste  our  powder  and  lead  upon  them.  Cud  jo,  however,  did 
the  business  at  last  by  constructing  a  trap  such  as  he  said  he 
had  often  caught  raccoons  with  in  '  Ole  Vaginny.'  This  was 
arranged  something  on  the  principle  of  the  wire  mouse-trap ; 
and  the  spring  consisted  in  a  young  tree  or  sapling  bent 
down  and  held  in  a  state  of  tension  until  the  trigger  was 
touched,  when  it  instantly  flew  up,  and  a  heavy  log  de- 
scended upon  whatever  animal  was  at  the  bait,  crushing  or 
killing  it  instantly.  By  means  of  Cudjo's  invention,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  nearly  a  dozen  of  our  skulking  enemies  in 
the  course  of  a  few  nights,  after  which  time  they  grew  so  shy 
that  they  would  not  approach  anything  at  all  that  looked  like 
a  '  fixture,'  and  for  a  long  while  we  could  trap  no  more  of 
them. 

"  Of  course,  all  these  incidents  occurred  afterwards,  but 
they  convinced  us  that  it  was  owing  to  their  great  sagacity, 
why  the  three  we  had  killed  in  the  pit  had  left  undisturbed 
the  doe  and  her  fawns.  They  were,  no  doubt,  the  same  that 
had  eaten  the  buck  on  the  night  before.  They  had  found  him 
in  a  shallow  pit,  out  of  which,  after  making  their  supper  upon 
him,  they  had  easily  escaped.  Returning  again  next  night, 
they  had  watched  until  the  doe  and  her  fawns  came  along 
and  dropped  into  the  pit ;  and  then  without  dreaming  of  any 
change  in  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the  wolves  had 
leaped  in  after.  But  the  increased  descent  down  which  they 
pitched  convinced  these  wary  animals  that  they  had  '  leaped 
without  looking,'  and  were  *  in  the  trap ,  themselves  ;  and, 
guessing  that  whoever  had  made  that  trap  would  soon  be 
alongside,  they  were  as  much  frightened  as  the  poor  doe. 
In  this  state  we  had  actually  found  them,  cowering  and 
crouching,  and  more  scared-like  than  the  fawns  themselves 


THE    DESERT    HU.ME. 


-■k 


You  will  think  this  a  very  improbable  relation,  yet  it  is  quite 
true.  An  equally  improbable  event  occurred  not  long  aftej-. 
Frank  caught  a  large  fox  and  a  turkey  in  his  trap;  an.l 
although  they  had  been  together  for  some  hours,  not  ;« 
feather  of  the  turkey  was  plucked  by  its  affrighted  neighbor. 
"  I  have  also  heard  of  a  panther,  who,  by  the  sudden  risini: 
of  a  flood,  had  found  himself  upon  a  small  islet  in  companv 
with  a  deer;  and  although  at  any  other  time  his  first  m- 
stinct  would  have  led  him  to  pounce  upon  it,  yet  the  poor 
deer  was  allowed  to  run  about  without  its  fierce  companion 
attempting  to  touch  it.  He  saw  that  he  and  the  deer  were 
equally  in  peril;  and  a  common  danger  among  the  wild 
animals — as  among  men — frequently  turns  foes  into  friends." 


THE  DESERT   HOME. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

THE  OLD   "  'possum  "   AND   HER   KITTENS. 

"  The  next  adventure  which  befell  us  was  near  having  a 
more  serious  termination.  This  time,  Frank  was  my  com- 
panion, while  Harry  remained  at  home  with  his  mother. 
Our  errand  wai  to  procure  some  of  the  long  Spanish  moss 
that  grew  upon  the  live  oaks  in  the  lower  end  of  the  valley. 
This  moss,  when  smoked,  and  cleansed  of  the  leaves  and 
pieces  of  bark  that  adhere  to  it,  makes  most  excellent  stuff- 
ing for  bedmat\resses, — in  fact,  quite  equal  to  curled  hair, — 
and  for  this  purpose  we  wanted  it.  We  did  not  take  the 
cart,  as  Cudjo  had  Pompo  in  the  plow  preparing  a  large 
tract  for  our  second  crop  of  com.  We  only  carried  with  us 
a  couple  of  rawhide  ropes,  intending  to  bring  home  a  good 
burden  of  the  moss  on  our  backs. 

"  We  traveled  on  down  the  valley,  looking  for  a  tree  with 
mo5s  upon  it  that  we  could  climb.  At  length,  almost  close 
to  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  we  chanced  upon  a  very  large  live 
oak,  with  low  branches,  from  which  the  long,  silvery  moss 
was  hanging  down  in  streamers,  like  the  tails  of  horses.  We 
soon  stripped  off  what  was  on  the  lower  branches;  and  then, 
climbing  up  on  these,  proceeded  to  rob  the  others  that  were 
higher  of  their  long,  stringy  parasites. 

"  While  thus  engaged,  our  attention  was  attracted  to  the 
chirping  and  chattering  of  some  birds  in  a  thicket  of  paw- 
paws close  to  our  tree.  We  looked  in  that  direction,  and 
we  could  see  down  into  the  thicket  very  plainly  from  where 
we  stood,  among  the  branches.  We  saw  that  the  birds  mak- 
ing the  noise  were  a  pair  of  orioles,  or  *  Baltimore  birds,'  as 
they  are  often  called,  from  the  fact  that,  in  the  early  settle- 
ments, their  color — a   mixture   of  black  and   orange — was 


THE   DESERT    HOME. 


249 


observed  to  be  the  same  as  that  in  the  coat  of  arms  of  Lord 
Baltimore.  Frank  and  I  conjectured  that  they  must  have  a 
nest  among  the  pawpaws,  for  they  had  scolded  us  as  we 
were  passing  through,  but  a  moment  before.  '  But  what 
were  they  scolding  now  ? '  asked  we  of  one  another,  for  the 
birds  were  fluttering  among  the  broad,  green  leaves,  uttering 
their  shrill  screams,  and  evidently  under  great  excitement. 
We  left  off  gathering  our  moss,  and  stood  for  a  moment  to 
see  what  it  was  all  about. 

"  Presently  we  noticed  a  strange-looking  object  in  motion 
along  the  ground,  and  close  in  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket. 
At  first  sight,  we  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it.  Was  it  an 
animal  ?  No — it  could  not  be  that.  It  had  not  the  shape  of 
any  animal  we  had  ever  seen  ;  and  yet  we  could  see  legs,  and 
tails,  and  ears,  and  eyes,  and  heads.  Heads,  indeed  ! — 
there  seemed  to  be  a  head  sticking  out  of  every  part  of  its 
body;  for  we  counted  half  a  score  of  them,  as  it  moved 
along.  It  moved  very  slowly,  and  when  nearly  opposite  to 
us  it  stopped,  so  that  we  had  a  good  view  of  it.  All  at  once, 
the  numerous  heads  seemed  to  separate  from  the  main  body, 
becoming  little  bodies  of  themselves,  with  long  tails  upon 
them,  and  looking  just  like  a  squad  of  white  rats.  The 
large  body  to  which  they  had  all  been  attached  we  now  saw 
was  an  old  female  opossum,  and  evidently  the  mother  of  the 
whole  troop.  She  was  about  the  size  of  a  cat,  and  covered 
with  woolly  hair  of  a  light-gray  color.  She  had  a  snout  some- 
what resembling  that  of  a  pig,  but  much  sharper  at  the  point 
with  whiskers  like  a  cat.  Her  ears  were  short  and  standing, 
her  mouth  very  wide,  and,  as  we  could  see,  full  of  sharp 
teeth.  The  legs  were  short  and  stout,  and  the  feet,  with 
their  keen  claws,  seemed  to  spread  out  upon  the  ground 
more  like  hands  than  feet.  The  tail  was  very  peculiar ;  it 
was  nearly  as  long  as  the  body,  tapering  like  that  of  a  rat, 
and  quite  naked.  But  the  greatest  curiosity  in  the  structure 
of  this  creature  was  a  pouch-like  opening  which  appeared 
under  her  belly,  and  which  showed  us  that  she  belonged  to 
the  family  of  the  marsujfia/ia,  or  pouched  animals,      This, 


250  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

of  course,  we  had  known  before.  The  little  *  'possums '  were 
exact  pictures  of  their  mother — all  having  the  same  sharp 
snouts,  and  long,  naked  tails.  We  counted  no  less  than 
thirteen  of  them,  playing  and  tumbling  about  among  the 
leaves. 

"  As  soon  as  the  old  one  had  shaken  them  all  off,  sue 
stepped  more  nimbly  over  the  ground,  going  backwards  and 
forwards,  and  looking  up  into  one  of  the  pawpaws  that  grew 
above  the  spot  where  she  had  halted.  In  this  tree  the  orioles 
were  now  fluttering  about,  chirping  wildly,  and,  at  intervals, 
making  a  dash  downward,  until  their  wings  almost  swept  the 
nose  of  the  opossum.  The  latter,  however,  appeared  to  take 
all  this  very  coolly,  and  evidently  did  not  regard  the  imbecile 
efforts  of  the  birds  to  frighten  her  off,  but  continued  her  sur- 
vey without  paying  any  attention  to  their  maneuvers.  On 
looking  upward,  we  discovered  the  object  of  her  reconnois- 
sance, — the  nest  of  the  orioles, — which  was  hanging  like  a 
large  purse,  or,  rather,  like  a  distended  stocking,  from  the 
topmost  twigs  of  the  tree. 

*'  After  a  few  moments,  the  old  'possum  seemed  to  have 
made  up  her  mind ;  and  approaching  the  spot  where  the 
young  ones  were  scrambling  about,  she  uttered  a  short,  sharp 
note,  that  brought  them  all  around  her.     Several  of  them 
ran  into  the  pouch  which  she  had  caused  to  open  for  them. ; 
Two  of  them  took  a  turn  of  their  little  tails  around  the  root 
of  hers,  and  climbed  up  on  her  rump,  almost  burying  them- 
selves in  her  long  wool ;  while  two  or  three  others  fastened 
themselves  about  her  neck  and  shoulders.     It  was  a  most 
singular  sight  to  see  the  little  creatures  holding  on  with  *  tails, ' 
ceeth,  and  toe-nails,'  while  some  peeped  comically  out  of  the  ^ 
Ijreat  breast  pocket. 

"  We  thought  she  was  going  to  move  away  with  her  cargo, ' 
but,  to  our  astonishment,  she  walked  up  to  the  pawpaw,  and 
commenced  climbing  it.  When  she  had  reached  the  lower- 
most branch,  which  grew  nearly  horizontal,  she  halted  ;  then, 
taking  the  young  ones,  one  by  one,  in  her  mouth,  she  caused 
fiach  oi  theru  to  m»Mc  a  turn  pr  two  oi  ii»  tail  p^round  ^« 


HE    DESERT    HOME.  2^1 

bran:,n,  and  hang  head  downwards.  Five  or  six  oi  ine  '  kit- 
tens '  were  still  upon  the  ground.  For  these  she  returned, 
and  taking  them  up  as  before,  again  climbed  the  tree.  She 
disposed  of  the  second  load  precisely  as  she  had  done  the 
others,  until  the  thirteen  little  'possums  hung  head  down- 
wards along  the  branch,  like  a  string  of  candles. 

•'  It  was  such  a  comical  sight  to  see  these  monkey-looking 
Httle  creatures  dangling  by  their  tails,  that  my  companion 
and  I  could  not  restrain  our  laughter  as  we  gazed  upon  it. 
We  took  care,  however,  not  to  laugh  aloud,  as  we  were  anx- 
ious to  observe  the  further  movements  of  the  old  'possum, 
and  we  knew  that  if  she  should  hear  us  it  would  spoil  sport 
at  once. 

"  As  soon  as  she  saw  the  young  ones  all  fairly  suspended, 
she  separated  from  them,  and  commenced  climbing  higher. 
We  noticed  that  she  caught  the  branches  in  her  claws,  exactly 
as  a  human  being  would  have  done  with  his  hands,  hoisting 
herself  from,  limb  to  limb.  At  length  she  reached  the  brnnch 
upon  which  hung  the  nest,  far  out  at  its  top.  For  a  moment, 
she  stopped  and  surveyed  it.  She  was  evidently  in  doubt 
whether  it  would  carry  her  weight  without  breaking,  and  so 
were  we.  Should  it  break,  she  would  have  a  smart  fall  to 
the  ground ;  for  the  tree  was  one  of  the  highest,  for  a  paw- 
paw, we  had  ever  seen,  and  there  were  no  other  branches 
below  to  which  she  could  clutch,  in  case  of  falling. 

"  The  nest,  however,  full  of  eggs,  no  doubt,  tempted  her 
on ;  and,  after  a  moment's  pause,  she  started  along  the 
branch.  When  about  half  way  up  it, — holding  on  both  with 
tail  and  feet, — the  slender  sapling  began  to  creak  and  bend, 
and  show  symptoms  of  breaking.  This,  with  the  screaming 
of  the  birds,  that  now  flapped  against  her  very  nose,  seemed 
all  at  once  to  cow  her  ;  and  she  crept  down  again,  going 
backwards  along  the  limb.  On  reaching  the  fork,  she  paused, 
and  looked  about  with  an  air  that  showed  slie  was  both 
vexed  and  puzzled.  All  at  once  her  eyes  rested  upon  the 
branch  of  an  oak  tree,  that  stretched  out  over  the  pawpaw, 
and  directly  above  the  orioles'  nest.     She  looked  at  this  for 


S^2  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

a  moment,  as  if  calculating  its  height  from  the  nest ;  then, 
seeming  to  make  up  her  mind,  she  ran  nimbly  down  the  paw- 
paw, over  the  ground  that  intervened,  and  up  the  trunk  of 
the  oak.  We  lost  sight  of  her  for  an  instant  among  the 
thick  leaves  ;  but  the  next  we  saw  her  crawling  out  upon 
the  branch  that  overhung  the  pawpaw. 

"  When  she  had  reached  a  point  directly  above  the  nest, 
she  flung  herself  fearlessly  from  the  branch,  and  hung  to  .ler 
whole  length,  suspended  by  the  tail.  In  this  position  she 
oscillated  back  and  forward,  with  gaping  mouth  and  out- 
stretched claws,  endeavoring  to  seize  hold  of  the  nest ;  but 
with  all  her  efforts,  and  no  doubt  to  her  great  mortification, 
she  was  unable  to  reach  it.  There  she  hung  for  several 
minutes,  clutching,  now  at  the  nest,  now  at  the  leaves  of  the 
pawpaw,  and  evidently  tantalized  by  the  sight  of  the  delicious 
eggs  so  near  her  very  nose.  We  could  see  that  she  had 
lowered  herself  to  the  last  link  of  her  tail, — until  only  a 
single  turn  of  it  sustained  her  upon  the  limb, — and  we  ex- 
pected every  moment  to  see  her  fall  to  the  ground.  Her 
stretching  was  all  to  no  purpose,  however ;  and  uttering  a 
bitter  snarl,  she  swung  herself  back  to  the  limb,  and  came 
running  down  from  the  oak. 

"  She  seemed  to  have  given  up  her  purpose  in  a  sort  of 
angry  despair,  for,  climbing  up  the  pawpaw,  she  hurried  her 
young  from  the  branch,  pitching  them  somewhat  rudely  to 
the  ground.  In  a  short  while,  she  had  gathered  them  all 
upon  her  back  and  into  her  pouch,  and  commenced  retreat- 
ing from  the  spot — while  the  orioles  changed  their  terrified 
screaming  into  chirps  of  victory. 

"  Frank  and  I  now  deemed  it  proper  to  interfere,  and  cut 
off  the  retreat  of  the  *  old  'possum  ; '  so,  dropping  from  our 
perch,  we  soon  overtook  and  captured  the  whole  family. 
The  old  one,  on  first  seeing  us  approach,  rolled  herself  into 
a  round  clump, — so  that  neither  her  head  nor  legs  could  be 
seen, — and  in  this  attitude  feigned  to  be  quite  dead.  Several 
of  the  youngsters,  who  were  outside^  immediately  detached 
themselves,  and  imitated  the  example  of  their  mother — so 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  253 

that  the  family  now  presented  the  appearance  of  a  large  ball 
of  whitish  wool,  with  several  smaller  *  clews  '  lying  around  it. 

"  On  finding,  however,  that  we  were  not  to  be  cheated, 
and  being  pricked  gently  with  the  point  of  an  arrow,  the 
old  one  unwound  herself,  and,  opening  her  long  jaws,  snapped 
and  bit  on  every  side  of  her,  uttering  all  the  while  a  sharp 
noise,  like  the  snarling  of  a  poodle. 

"  Her  snarling  did  not  avail  her,  for  in  a  few  minutes  we 
had  muzzled  her  securely,  and  made.her  fast  to  one  of  the 
saplings,  intending  to  take  the  whole  family  with  us  when 
we  returned  to  the  house." 


254  THE   DESERT    liUAlE. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

THE  MOCCASON  SNAKE  AND  THE  ORIOLES. 

"  We  now  climbed  back  into  the  live  oak,  and  recommenced 
flinging  down  our  moss.  We  were  chatting  gayly  about  the 
curious  scene  we  had  just  witnessed.  Frank  was  remarking 
how  lucky  he  had  been  in  thus  finding  the  nest  of  the  orioles 
— as  he  wanted  young  birds  of  that  species,  and  he  could 
return  for  them  whenever  they  were  hatched.  All  of  a 
sudden,  these  birds — that,  since  the  defeat  of  the  'possum, 
had  remained  perfectly  quiet — again  commenced  screaming 
and  chattering  as  before. 

"  '  Another  'possum  !'  said  Frank ; '  may  be  it's  the  old  father 
coming  to  look  after  his  family.' 

"  We  both  stopped,  and  looked  down.  We  soon  discovered 
what  was  causing  this  new  commotion.  Slowly  gliding  over 
the  grass,  and  glittering  as  it  went,  was  a  long,  monster- 
looking  object.  It  was  a  huge  serpent, — a  snake  of  the 
most  venomous  kind, — the  dreaded  'moccason.'  It  was  one 
of  the  largest  of  its  species  ;  and  its  great  flat  head,  protruding 
sockets,  and  sparkling  eyes,  added  to  the  hideousness 
of  its  appearance.  Every  now  and  then  as  it  advanced,  it  threw 
out  its  forked  tongue,  which,  moist  with  poisonous  saliva, 
flashed  under  the  sunbeams  like  jets  of  frre.  It  was  crawling 
directly  for  the  tree  on  which  hung  the  nest.  Frank  and  I 
stood  still  where  we  were,  determined  to  watch  its  movements 
as  we  had  done  those  of  the  opossum.  On  reaching  the 
root  of  the  pawpaw,  it  stopped  for  a  moment,  as  if  to 
consider. 

"  '  Do  you  think  it  is  going  to  climb  up  to  the  nest  ? '  in- 
quired my  companion. 

No,'  I  replied  ;  '  the   moccason  is   not  a  tree  climber. 


<(  i 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  255 

If  it  were,  the  poor  birds,  as  well  as  the  squirrels,  would 
have  little  chance ;  but  it  cannot  climb.  Look  at  it !  it  is 
only  making  pretense — to  frighten  the  orioles  still  more,  if 
possible.' 

"  As  I  said  this,  the  snake  had  drawn  its  body  closer  to 
the  tree,  and  raised  its  flat  head  up  against  the  trunk,  throw- 
ing out  its  tongue  as  if  it  was  licking  the  bark. 

''  The  orioles,  evidently  believing  that  it  was  about  to 
climb  up,  had  now  descended  to  the  lowest  branches,  flutter- 
ing from  one  to  the  other,  and  screaming  all  the  while  either 
with  rage,  or  terror,  or  both  combined. 

*'  The  snake,  seeing  them  approach  almost  within  range 
of  his  hideous  maw,  gathered  himself  into  a  coil,  and  pre- 
pared to  strike.  His  eyes  scintillated  like  sparks  of  fire, 
and  seemed  to  fascinate  the  birds  for,  instead  of  retiring, 
the}'  each  moment  drew  nearer  and  nearer,  now  alighting 
on  the  ground,  then  flapping  back  to  the  branches,  and  anon 
darting  to  the  ground  again — as  though  they  were  under 
some  spell  from  those  fiery  eyes,  and  were  unable  to  take 
themselves  away.  Their  motions  appeared  to  grow  less 
energetic ;  their  chirping  became  almost  inaudible ;  and 
their  wings  seemed  hardly  to  expand  as  they  flew,  or  rather 
fluttered,  around  the  head  of  the  serpent.  One  of  them  at 
length  dropped  down  upon  the  ground,  within  reach  of  the 
snake,  and  stood  with  open  bill,  as  if  exhausted,  and  unable 
to  move  farther.  We  were  expecting  to  see  the  snake  sud- 
denly launch  forth  upon  his  feathered  victim ;  when  all  at 
once  his  coils  flew  out,  his  body  was  thrown  at  full  length, 
and  he  commenced  retreating  from  the  tree  !  The  birds, 
apparently  released  from  the  spell  that  had  bound  them,  flew 
up  to  the  higher  branches,  and  ceased  their  screams  and 
chirping. 

"  For  a  while,  my  companion  and  I  stood  silent,  wonder- 
ing at  this  unexpected  termination  of  the  scene. 

"  '  What  can  have  driven  him  off  ? '  asked  Frank  turning 
to  me  with  a  look  of  inquir}-. 

"  Before    1    could   make   any  reply,  an  object  appeared 


256  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

upon  the  edge  of  the  thicket,  which  occupied  the  attention 
of  both  of  us.  It  was  an  animal  about  the  size  of  a  wolf, 
and  of  a  dark  gray  or  blackish  color.  Its  body  was  compact, 
round-shaped,  and  covered,  not  with  hair,  but  with  shaggy 
brislles,  that  along  the  ridge  of  its  back  were  nearly  six 
inclies  in  length,-  and  gave  it  the  appearance  of  having  a 
mane.  It  had  very  short  ears;  no  tail  whatever,  or  only  a 
knob ;  and  we  could  see  that  its  feet  were  hoofed,  not 
clawed,  as  in  beaSts  of  prey.  But  whether  beast  of  prey  or 
not,  its  long  mouth,  with  two  white  tusks  protruding  over 
the  jaws,  gave  it  a  very  formidable  appearance.  Its  head 
and  nose  resembled  those  of  the  hog  more  than  any  other 
animal ;  and,  in  fact,  it  was  nothing  else  than  the  peccary — 
the  wild  hog  of  Mexico.  As  it  came  out  from  the  long  weeds 
and  grass,  we  saw  that  two  smaller  animals,  of  a  dark,  red- 
dish color, — two  young  peccaries, — were  following  at  its 
heels.     Like  the  opossum,  it  was  a  mother  and  her  brood. 

"  The  three  soon  drew  near  the  pawpaws  ;  and  the  orioles 
seeing  them,  once  more  set  up  the  scolding  concert.  But 
the  old  peccary  paid  no  attention  to  the  birds.  They  were 
nothing  to  her ;  and  she  passed  on  with  her  nose  to  the 
ground,  occasionally  stopping  to  pick  up  a  seed  or  a  nut. 

"  In  going  away  from  the  thicket,  she  crossed  the  track 
by  which  the  serpent  had  retreated.  All  on  a  sudden  she 
stopped,  tossed  up  her  nose,  and  scented  the  air.  The  fetid 
smell  of  the  moccason  had  reached  her,  and  seemed  at  once 
to  rouse  all  her  energies.  She  ran  for  some  moments  from 
side  to  side,  with  her  nose  to  the  ground,  and  lifting  the  trail 
like  a  hound.  She  first  followed  it  back  to  the  tree ;  but 
there  was  a  double  trail, — that  by  which  the  snake  had  come, 
as  well  as  the  one  he  had  just  made  in  retreating, — and  this 
for  a  moment  puzzled  her.  She  took  the  wrong  trail  at  first, 
and  galloped  nimbly  out  upon  it ;  but,  almost  in  the  same 
breath,  returned  to  the  tree,  and  then  started  upon  the 
other. 

*'  During  all  these  maneuvers,  the  snake  was  crawling  off 
as  fast  as  he  could, — which  at  best  was  only  a  very  tardy 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  257 

gait, — for  the  moccason  is  but  a  slow  traveler.  We  could 
see  that  he  kept  as  much  as  possible  under  the  grass,  oc- 
casionally raising  his  flattened  head  and  glaring  behind  him. 
He  was  making  for  the  cliffs,  that  were  only  about  a  stone's 
throw  distant. 

"  He  had  got  scarce  half  way,  when  the  peccary,  running 
up  the  fresh  trail,  almost  trod  upon  him ;  and,  seeing  the 
object  of  her  pursuit,  she  suddenly  stopped,  erected  her  lon<^ 
bristles,  and  uttered  a  shrill  grunt.  The  snake,  finding  tha  t 
he  was  overtaken,  threw  himself  into  a  coil,  and  prepare  I 
to  give  battle ;  while  his  antagonist,  now  looking  more  lik  * 
a  great  porcupine  than  a  pig,  drew  back,  as  if  to  take  the 
advantage  of  a  run,  and  then  halted.  Both  for  a  moment 
eyed  each  other, — the  peccary  evidently  calculating  its  dis- 
tance,— while  the  great  snake  seemed  cowed  and  quivering 
with,  affright.  Its  appearance  was  entirely  different  from 
the  bright  semblance  it  had  exhibited  but  a  moment  before, 
when  engaged  with  the  birds.  Its  eyes  were  less  fiery,  and 
its  whole  body  seemed  more  ashy  and  wrinkled. 

"  We  had  not  many  moments  to  observe  it,  for  the  pec- 
cary was  now  seen  to  rush  forward,  spring  high  into  the  air, 
and  pounce  down  with  all  her  feet  held  together  upon  the 
coils  of  the  serpent.  She  immediately  bounded  back  again, 
and,  quick  as  thought,  once  more  rose  above  her  victim. 
The  snake  was  now  uncoiled,  and  writhing  over  the  ground. 
Another  rush  from  the  peccary, — another  spring, — and  the 
sharp  hoofs  of  the  animal  came  down  upon  the  neck  of  the 
serpent,  crushing  it  upon  the  hard  turf.  The  body  of  the 
reptile,  distended  to  its  full  length,  quivered  for  a  moment, 
and  then  lay  motionless  along  the  grass.  The  victor  uttered 
another  sharp  cry,  that  seemed  intended  as  a  call  to  her 
young  ones,  who,  emerging  from  the  weeds  where  they  b'"' 
concealed  themselves,  ran  nimbly  forward  to  the  spot." 

»7 


258  THE   DESKRT    HOME, 


CHAPTER  XL. 

THE    BATTLE   OF   THE    COUGAR   AND    PECCARIES. 

"  Frank  and  I  were  rather  pleased  with  the  result  of  the 
encounter ;  though  I  do  not  see  why  we  should  have  taken 
sides  with  the  peccary,  who  would  have  eaten  the  birds, — 
could  she  have  caught  them, — and  their  eggs,  too,  just  as  fast 
as  the  snake  would  have  done.  And  why  should  we  have 
taken  the  part  gf  the  birds  either,  who,  in  their  turn,  had 
devoured  many  a  butterfly  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  them- 
selves ?  But  so  it  is.  From  time  immemorial,  the  poor 
snake — who  is  comparatively  a  harmless  animal,  and  whose 
deadly  powers  have  been  greatly  exaggerated — has  been 
hated  and  persecuted  by  man  more  than  any  other  creature  •, 
thus  fulfilling  in  a  remarkable  manner  the  prophecy  of  the 
sacred  book. 

"  We  began  to  consider  what  plan  we  should  take  to  cap- 
ture the  animal.  We  desired  very  much  to  get  possession 
of  the  young  ones,  as  we  knew  they  would  be  a  valuable  ad- 
dition to  our  stock,  and  would  serve  us  in  the  place  of  real 
pigs — though  their  flesh  does  not  taste  much  like  pork.  It 
is  more  like  that  of  the  hare.  In  fact,  it  is  not  eatable  at  all, 
unless  certain  precautions  are  taken  immediately  after  the 
animal  is  killed.  There  is  a  glandular  opening  on  the  back, 
iust  above  the  rump,  tliat  has  been  improperly  called  a  navel. 
In  this  opening,  there  is  a  substance  that  emits  a  stroni; 
smell  of  musk ;  and  if  the  whole  part  be  not  cut  out,  in  less 
than  an  hour  after  the  animal  has  been  killed,  the  flesh  be- 
comes so  impregnated  with  the  musky  odor  that  it  is  qui{^' 
unpalatable.  If  the  gland,  however,  be  removed  in  time, 
peccary  pork  is  not  bad  eating— though  there    is  no   lard  iii 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  259 

it,  as  in  the  common  pork,  and,  as  we  have  said,  it  tastes 
more  Uke  the  flesh  of  the  hare. 

"  But  my  companion  and  I  did  not  think  of  these  things 
at  the  time.  We  on  I}'  thought  of  how  we  could  capture  the 
young  peccaries. 

"  It  was  plain  that,  while  the  mother  was  witli  them,  the 
thing  would  be  impossible.  We  knew  that  we  dared  not  en- 
counter the  fierce  brute.  Even  had  we  had  our  dogs  witli 
us,  she  would  have  been  more  than  a  match  for  both  of  them 
with  her  sharp  tusks,  and  long,  crocodile-shaped  jaws.  In 
fact,  the  most  courageous  dog  will  lower  his  tail  and  run 
from  the  attack  of  this  animal  ;  and  if,  on  the  contrary,  he 
should  await  it,  it  would  only  be  to  have  a  leg  snapped  off, 
or  his  side  ripped  open.  It  was  plain,  then,  as  long  as  the 
old  one  was  there  to  guard  them,  we  could  never  lay  our 
fingers  upon  the  '  shoats.'  What  was  to  be  done  ?  Should 
we  send  a  rifle  bullet  at  the  mother  ?  Frank  thought  this 
would  be  cruel ;  and  so  it  would  have  been.  Still  I  knew 
that  the  peccary  was  a  fierce  animal,  and  not  much  entitled 
to  the  mercy  we  would  have  shown  to  a  deer,  or  any  harm- 
less creature  like  that.  I  knew,  moreover,  that  there  were 
a  good  many  of  them  in  the  valley, — for  we  had  seen  their 
tracks  in  the  mud, — and  it  was  exceedingly  dangerous  to 
come  in  contact  with  them.  Indeed,  hunters  and  others  have 
been  often  surrounded  and  torn  to  pieces  by  them.  Such, 
then,  being  the  case,  I  felt  that  it  would  not  be  wise  to  let 
any  of  them  escape,  whenever  we  could  destroy  them^else 
they  might  at  some  time  destroy  one  of  ourselves.  With 
these  thoughts  in  my  mind,  I  paid  but  little  attention  to  the 
remonstrances  of  Frank,  but,  bending  down  from  the  branch, 
on  v/hich  we  stood,  I  reached  for  my  rifle.  I  could  just  lay 
hold  of  the  muzzle,  as  it  leaned  against  the  tree ;  and,  draw- 
ing it  cautiously  up,  I  prepared  to  fire. 

"  During  all  this  time,  the  peccary  had  been  busy  with 
the  carcass  of  the  snake.  After  killing  it,  she  had  bitten  off 
the  head  ;  and,  holding  the  body  between  her  fore  feet,  with 
Kiif  UM^Ufi  and  teeth  sh<^    had  peeled    off  the    skin  a^  ndroitly 


26o  'THE   DESERT   HOME. 

as  a  fishmonger  would  have  skinned  an  eel.  She  had  jusl 
finished  this  operation  as  I  got  hold  of  the  gun,  and  was 
now  tearing  up  the  white  flesh,  and  throwing  it  in  small 
pieces  to  the  youngsters — all  the  while  uttering  low  grunts, 
that  betokened  her  satisfaction  and  enjoyment. 

"  I  raised  my  rifle,  and  was  about  to  take  aim,  when  an 
object  caught  my  eye,  which  caused  me  to  lower  it  again 
with  a  feeling  of  terror.  The  peccary  was  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  tree  upon  which  we  stood  ;  and  about  twenty  yards 
beyond,  another  animal,  of  a  far  different  aspect,  was  seen 
coming  out  of  the  jungle.  It  was  about  the  size  of  a  vealed 
calf,  but  shorter  in  the  legs,  and  much  longer  in  the  body. 
It  was  all  over  of  a  deep-red  color,  except  the  breast  and 
throat,  which  were  nearly  white.  Its  ears  were  erect,  short 
and  blackish ;  its  head  and  muzzle  cat-shaped ;  and  its  whole 
body  somewhat  resembled  the  figure  of  a  cat — except  that 
its  back,  instead  of  being  arched,  was  hollow,  and  sunk 
away  below  the  level  of  its  gaunt,  muscular  shoulder. 

"  It  would  have  been  a  fearful  thing  to  look  at,  even  had 
we  not  known  what  it  was ;  but  we  knew,  and  that  ren- 
dered the  sight  of  it  still  more  terrifying.     It  was  the  cougar  I 

"  Now,  for  the  first  time  since  coming  upon  the  spot,  we 
felt  fear.  We  knew  that  the  peccary,  savage  as  it  was, 
could  not  climb  a  tree ;  and  hitherto  we  had  deemed  our- 
selves secure.  We  were  now  no  longer  so.  We  knew  that  the 
cougar  could  ascend  a  tree  with  the  agility  of  a  squirrel,  and 
was  as  much  at  home  among  the  branches  as  upon  the  ground 
itself.  I  knew  all  this  ;  and  I  turned  to  my  companion,  and 
whispered  him  to  remain  motionless  and  silent. 

"  The  cougar  came  on  with  stealthy  tread.  His  eyes,  as 
we  could  see,  were  set  upon  the  unconscious  peccary ;  and 
his  legs  were  strained  down  as  he  moved,  so  that  one  would 
have  thought  he  was  crawling  upon  his  belly.  His  long 
tail,  stretched  away  behind  him,  was  gently  waving  from  side 
to  side — exactly  after  the  manner  of  a  cat,  when  stealing 
through  the  stubble  upon  the  basking  partridge. 

'•  /3l  this  time  the  peccary  w^s  greedily  deyowring  th^ 


THE  DESERT   HOME.  26 1 

snake,  wholly  unconscious  of  the  danger  that  was  gathering 
over  her.  The  ground,  for  some  distance  around  her,  was 
clear  of  weeds  and  brushwood  ;  but  a  large  tree  stood  near, 
and  its  long,  horizontal  branches  stretched  out,  casting  their 
shade  upon  the  spot  she  occupied.  On  reaching  the  margin 
■of  the  weeds  that  had  hitherto  partially  concealed  him,  the 
cougar  suddenly  stopped,  and  appeared  to  deliberate.  He 
knew  that,  unless  he  could  spring  suddenly  and  unawares 
upon  the  back  of  his  victim,  he  would  have  to  encounter 
those  terrible  tusks,  the  effects  of  which  he  saw  exhibited  at 
that  moment  on  the  carcass  of  the  great  reptile.  He  was 
still  too  distant  to  reach  the  peccary  with  a  single  spring ; 
and  he  appeared  to  be  considering  how  he  might  get  a  little 
nearer  without  being  discovered. 

"  All  at  once,  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  overstretching 
branches  ;  a  sudden  change  took  place  in  his  attitude,  and 
turning  slowly  and  silently,  he  crawled  back  among  the 
weeds.  We  could  see  that  he  was  making  a  detour  to  get 
upon  the  other  side  of  the  tree  from  that  occupied  by  the 
peccary.  Presently  we  saw  him  approach  the  trunk,  and  the 
next  moment  spring  up  it,  more  like  a  streak  of  red  light  than 
a  living  animal.  We  could  hear  the  rattle  of  his  claws  in  the 
loose  bark,  as  he  passed  upward ;  and  the  peccary,  too, 
seemed  to  have  heard  it,  for  she  threw  up  her  head  with  a 
grunt,  and  stood  for  a  moment  listening. 

"  *  Only  a  squirrel,  perhaps  I '  thought  she ;  and  again  re- 
sumed her  occupation. 

"  *  The  cougar  now  appeared,  coming  from  behind  the 
trunk,  and,  after  looking  cautiously  about  him,  commenced 
crawling  out  along  the  branch.  On  reaching  one  of  its 
forks,  he  gathered  himself  like  a  cat,  and  then,  with  a  terrific 
scream,  sprang  down  upon  the  back  of  his  victim.  His  claws 
were  buried  in  her  neck  at  the  first  dash ;  and  his  long  body 
covered  hers — his  hind  legs  and  tail  wrapping  around  her. 
The  frightened  animal  uttered  a  shrill  cry,  and  struggled  to 
free  itself.  Both  rolled  over  the  ground,  the  peccary  all  the 
while  gnashing  its  jaws,  and  continuing  to  send  forth  its 


262  THK    DESERT    HUI\IE. 

Strange,  sharp  cries,  until  the  woods  echoed  again.  Even 
the  young  ones  ran  around,  mixing  in  the  combat — now 
flung  sprawhng  upon  the  earth,  now  springing  up  again, 
snapping  their  Httle  jaws,  and  imitating  the  cry  of  their 
mother.  The  cougar  alone  fought  in  silence.  Since  the 
first  wild  scream,  not  a  sound  had  escaped  him  but  from  that 
moment  his  claws  never  relaxed  their  hold ;  and  we  could 
see  that,  with  his  teeth,  he  was  silently  tearing  the  throat  of 
his  victim. 

"  The  combat  did  not  last  long — only  a  few  moments.  The 
peccary  soon  ceased  to  struggle,  and  lay  upon  her  side — still 
in  the  embrace  of  her  terrible  adversary,  who  had  now  torn 
open  the  veins  of  the  neck,  and  was,  silently  and  catlike,  lap- 
ping the  warm  blood. 

"  With  all  the  hostility  which  we  now  felt  for  the  cowardly 
cougar,  we  did  not  deem  it  prudent  to  interfere.  We  knew 
that  he  would  serve  us  just  as  he  was  doing  the  peccary,  if 
he  only  knew  that  we  were  so  convenient  to  him  ;  and  we 
therefore  remained  perfectly  still,  not  daring  even  to  move 
a  limb.  He  was  not  thirty  yards  from  us,  for  the  struggle 
had  brought  both  him  and  his  victim  nearer  to  our  tree. 
I  could  have  shot  him,  as  he  lay  crouching  in  the  enjoyment 
of  his  red  meal ;  but  I  knew  too  well  the  uncertainty  of  kill- 
ing such  a  muscular  and  powerful  animal  with  a  rifle  bullet ; 
and  I  resolved  to  let  him  finish  his  feast,  and  take  himself 
off  if  he  would,  without  any  hindrance  on  our  part.  We 
were  not  allowed  much  time  to  think  about  in  ;  for  the  com- 
bat was  hardly  over,  when  strange  voices  reached  our  ears, 
coming  from  the  woods,  apparently  on  all  sides  of  us.  They 
had  reached  the  ears  of  the  cougar,  too ;  for  the  fierce  brute 
started  suddenly  to  his  legs,  and  stood  listening,  and,  as  we 
thought,  somewhat  cowed-like.  He  seemed  to  hesitate  a 
moment,  looking  around  him  and  down  at  the  fresh-killed 
animal.  Then,  as  if  suddenly  forming  a  resolution,  he  buried 
his  teeth  in  the  throat  of  the  dead  peccary,  and,  swinging 
the  carcass  over  his  long  back,  commenced  retreating. 
-  "  He  had  made  only  a  few  steps,  when  the  noises  that 


I 


IHE    DESERT    HOME.  263 

had  been  all  the  time  growing  more  distinct  were  heard 
upon  the  very  edge  of  the  underwood  ;  and,  the  next  moment, 
several  dark  objects  bounded  out  into  the  opening.  We 
saw  at  a  glance  they  were  peccaries.  There  were  t\venty  or 
thirty  in  all.  They  had  been  summoned  by  the  cries  of  the 
one  that  was  just  killed.  They  came  from  every  side,  rush- 
ing simultaneously  forward,  and  uttering  their  shrill  grnnts 
as  they  ran. 

"  They  had  got  between  the  cougar  and  the  trees  before 
he  could  reach  the  latter ;  and,  in  fact,  they  w^ere  upon  him 
on  ail  sides,  almost  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  They  formed 
a  complete  circle  around  him,  and  with  their  long  bristles 
erected,  their  gnashing  jaws  and  shrill  notes,  they  presented 
most  formidable  array. 

"  The  cougar,  seeing  that  his  retreat  was  cut  off, — at  least, 
so  long  as  he  carried  the  carcass, — flung  off  his  burden,  and 
leaped  upon  the  foremost  of  his  advancing  enemies,  striking 
it  to  the  ground  with  his  huge  paws.  He  had  not  time  to 
turn  himself,  however,  when  several  others  fastened  on  him 
from  behind;  and  we  could  see  the  red  fur  fly  from  his  sides, 
torn  up  by  their  sharp  tusks.  Now  came  the  struggle  in 
earnest.  For  a  short  while,  the  cougar  kept  his  antagonists 
at  bay — striking  them  down  and  tearing  them  with  teeth  and 
claws ;  but  at  length  the  whole  herd  closed  upon  him,  and 
we  could  see  the  blood  streaming  from  his  torn  flanks.  He 
now  seemed  to  fight  as  if  wishing  to  make  his  way  through 
them  and  escape ;  but  the  peccaries,  as  active  as  himself, 
hemmed  him  in  their  midst,  surrounding  him  with  a  dense 
mass  of  bodies  and  snapping  jaws.  Twice  or  three  times, 
the  cougar  sprang  into  the  air, — as  if  to  leap  beyoiTd  the 
circle  of  his  antagonists, — but  at  the  same  time  several  of 
these  were  also  seen  to  rear  upward,  and  intercept  him  in 
the  spring.  At  length,  by  a  desperate  effort,  he  succeeded 
in  clearing  himself  •  and  dashed  out  from  among  them, 
striving  to  escape.  What  was  our  horror,  on  perceiving 
tliat  he  ran  directly  for  the  tree  upon  which  we  were  standing  1 

With  a  feeling  akin  to  despair,  I  cocked  my  rifle ;  but, 


264  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

before  I  could  bring  it  to  bear  upon  his  body,  he  had  passed 
up  the  tree  hke  a  flash,  and  now  lay  crouching  not  twenty 
feet  above  our  heads,  and  glaring  down  at  us  !  So  close  had 
he  been  in  passing,  that  his  claws  brushed  my  arm,  and  I 
could  feel  his  warm  breath  upon  my  face  I  The  peccaries 
had  followed  to  the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  there  stopped — 
being  unable  to  climb  it.  Some  of  them  ran  around,  gazing 
upward.  Others  tore  the  bark  with  their  teeth,  and  all  of 
them  uttered  their  shrill  screams  of  fury  and  disappointment. 

"  For  some  moments,  Frank  and  I  stood  terror-struck.  We 
knew  not  what  was  best  to  be  done.  There,  above,  was  the 
terrible  cougar,  his  eyes  glaring  like  balls  of  fire  at  ourselves, 
who  were  within  reach  of  a  single  spring  !  We  knew  not 
the  moment  he  might  leap  down  upon  us.  Below,  again, 
was  an  enemy,  equally  terrible,  in  the  peccaries.  They 
would  have  torn  us  to  pieces  in  an  instant,  had  we  attempted 
to  descend  to  the  ground.  No  wonder,  then,  we  were  ter- 
rified at  the  dilemma  in  which  we  were  so  suddenly  placed. 
No  wonder  it  was  some  moments  before  I  could  gather 
resolution  enough  to  act. 

<'  At  length,  however,  I  bethought  myself  that  of  the  two 
enemies  the  cougar  was  certainly  the  worst.  We  were  safe 
from  the  peccaries  so  long  as  we  remained  upon  the  tree ; 
while  we  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  other,  go  where  we  would. 
I  resolved,  therefore,  to  direct  my  energies  towards  the  de- 
struction of  the  cougar. 

"  All  this  time,  the  latter  had  remained  where  he  had  first 
perched  himself,  in  an  upper  fork  of  the  tree.  He  would, 
no  doubt,  have  attacked  us  sooner,  had  he  not  dreaded  the 
peccaries  below  ;  but  he  feared  that  by  springing  at  us  he 
might  precipitate  himself  among  them,  and  this  kept  him  for 
the  moment  quiet.  I  knew  very  well,  however,  that,  as  soon 
as  the  animals  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  should  take  their  de- 
parture, our  fate  would  be  sealed. 

"  My  companion  was  unarmed.  He  had  brought  with 
him  only  his  bow  and  arrows.  These  had  been  left  at  the  foot 
of  the  tree,  and  were  already  crunched  to  pieces  by  the  peo 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  265 

caries.  I  put  him  behind  me,  therefore,  so  that  he  should  be 
out  of  the  way  of  the  cougar,  in  case  I  should  only  succeed  in 
wounding  the  latter,  and  it  might  spring  upon  us.  All  this 
was  done  in  silence,  and  as  gently  as  possible,  so  as  not  to 
startle  the  monster  that  lay  above  us  glaring  and  growl- 
ing. 

"  As  soon  as  I  was  ready,  I  brought  up  my  rifle  slowly 
and  with  great  caution.  I  steadied  myself  on  the  limb  of  the 
tree,  and  took  aim  directly  for  the  head  of  the  cougar — 
which  was  the  only  part  of  him  I  could  see  for  the  moss.  I 
pulled  trigger.  The  smoke  for  a  while  blinded  me,  and  I 
could  not  tell  the  effects  of  my  shot ;  but  I  heard  a  rustling 
noise, — as  of  some  heavy  body  falling  through  the  leaves 
and  branches, — then  a  dull  sound,  as  of  the  same  body  strik- 
ing against  the  earth, — and  at  the  same  time  louder  screams, 
and  a  sudden  rushing  among  the  peccaries.  I  looked  be- 
low. I  saw  the  red  body  of  the  cougar  struggling  in  their 
midst ;  but  it  did  not  struggle  long,  for  in  a  few  moments  it 
was  tossed  upon  their  snouts,  and  torn  to  pieces  by  theii 
long,  fierce  tusks." 


»66  THE   DESERT    HOMJU 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

BESIEGED    IN    A   TREE. 

"  I  NOW  Mieved  that  we  were  safe.  Both  Frank  and  I 
experienced  that  happiness  which  men  feel  who  have  been 
suddenly  siiatched  from  the  jaws  of  death.  '  The  peccaries/' 
thought  we,  '  will  soon  disperse  and  go  off  into  the  woods, 
now  that  their  enemy  has  been  destroyed.'  To  our  con- 
sternation, however,  we  soon  found  that  we  were  mistaken  ; 
for,  instead  vi  retiring  after  they  had  glutted  their  vengeance 
upon  the  cougar,  they  again  surrounded  the  tree,  looking 
fiercely  up  at  us,  tearing  the  bark  as  before,  and  uttering 
their  wild  cries.  It  was  evident  they  were  determined  to 
destroy  us,  if  they  could.  It  was  a  strange  way  to  thank  us 
for  delivering  over  to  them  their  enemy. 

"  We  were  upon  the  lower  branches,  and  they  could  see 
us  distinctly.  We  might  easily  have  climbed  higher;  but 
that  would  have  served  no  purpose,  as  they  could  not  reach 
us  where  we  were.  They  could  only  destroy  us  by  keeping 
us  in  the  tree,  until  we  might  perish  by  hunger  or  thirst ;  and 
from  what  I  had  heard  of  the  nature  of  these  animals  I  knew 
that  it  was  not  improbable  that  they  might  do  this. 

"  At  first,  I  was  determined  not  to  fire  at  them,  thinking 
that  after  a  while  their  fury  might  subside,  and  they  would 
disperse.  Frank  and  I,  therefore,  climbed  a  little  higher, 
and  concealed  ourselves,  as  well  as  we  could,  in  the  thick 
tufts  of  the  moss. 

"  After  remaining  thus  for  above  two  hours,  we  saw  that 
it  was  all  to  no  purpose ;  for  the  peccaries,  although  they 
had  become  more  quiet,  still  formed  a  dense  circle  around 
the  tree,  and  appeared  determined  to  carry  out  the  siege. 
Some  of  them  had  lain  dqwn,-^intending,  no  doubt,  to  take 


THE    DESERT   HOME.  ^67 

it  as  easily  as  possible, — but  not  one  had  as  yet  left  ilie 
spot. 

"  I  grew  impatient.  I  knew  that  our  people  would  be  un- 
easy about  our  long  absence.  I  feared,  moreover,  that  Harry 
and  Cud  jo  might  come  in  search  of  us  ;  and  they,  being  on 
foot,  and  not  able  to  climb  quickly  enough  to  a  tree,  might 
fall  victims  to  these  fierce  creatures.  I  determined,  therefore, 
to  try  what  effect  a  shot  or  two  might  have  upon  the  herd. 

"  I  again  descended  amongst  the  lowermost  branches,  to 
make  sure  of  my  aim,  and  commenced  firing.  Each  time  I 
selected  an  animal,  aiming  as  nearly  as  I  could  for  its  heart. 
I  fired  five  times,  and  at  every  shot  one  of  the  peccaries  was 
seen  to  bite  the  dust ;  but  the  rest,  instead  of  being  fright- 
ened by  the  fearful  havoc  I  was  making  among  them,  only 
trampled  over  the  bodies  of  their  dead  companions,  grunting 
more  fiercely  than  ever,  and  rushing  against  the  trunk  with 
I  heir  hoofed  feet,  as  though  they  would  climb  up  it. 

''  As  I  returned  to  load  my  rifle  for  the  sixth  time  I  found 
to  my  consternation  that  I  had  but  one  bullet  left.  This  I 
rammed  into  my  gun,  which  I  again  discharged  among  the 
peccaries,  and  another  of  them  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground. 
But  all  to  no  purpose  was  this  slaughter — the  animals  seemed 
to  be  quite  regardless  of  death. 

"  I  knew  of  no  other  method  to  drive  them  away ;  and  I 
now  returned  to  the  upper  branches  where  I  had  left  my 
companion,  and  sat  down  beside  him.  We  could  do  no  more 
than  wait  with  patience,  in  hopes  that  the  night  might  call 
off  our  strange  besiegers.  Although  we  could  hear  them 
below  us  still  uttering  their  wild  cries,  and  scratching  against 
the  trunk  of  the  tree,  we  now  paid  them  no  more  attention, 
but  sat  quietly  upon  our  perch,  confiding  in  the  hand  of  Pro- 
vidence to  deliver  us. 

"  We  had  been  seated  thus  but  a  very  short  while  when 
all  at  once  we  became  conscious  that  there  was  a  bitter  smoke 
rising  around  us.  At  first,  we  had  taken  it  for  the  smoke 
which  had  been  produced  by  the  firing  of  the  rifle,  and 
which  had  hung  for   some  time  about  the  tree.     Now   we 


268  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

knew  it  could  not  be  that,  for  it  was  growing  thicker  and 
thicker  and  we  noticed  that  it  had  a  smell  very  different  from 
that  of  burnt  powder.  Moreover,  it  produced  a  stifling, 
choking  sensation,  causing  us  to  cough,  and  rub  our  eyes 
with  the  pain.  On  looking  downward,  I  was  unable  to  see 
either  the  ground  or  the  peccaries  ;  but  I  could  perceive  a 
thick  cloud  rising  up  all  around  the  tree.  I  could  hear  the 
voices  of  the  fierce  brutes  loud  as  ever  ;  but  they  appeared 
to  be  scattering  outward,  and  their  cry  was  different  to  what 
it  had  hitherto  been.  It  now  occurred  to  me  that  the  moss 
had  caught  fire  from  the  wadding  of  my  rifle ;  and  this  soon 
proved  to  be  the  fact,  for  the  smoke  all  at  once  became  il- 
luminated with  a  bright  blaze,  that  seemed  to  spread  almost 
instantaneously  over  the  surface  of  the  ground.  We  saw  that 
it  did  not  fully  envelop  the  tree,  but  burnt  on  that  side  where 
we  had  thrown  down  the  moss. 

'•  My  companion  and  I  scrambled  out  on  the  branches  to 
the  opposite  side — going  as  far  as  we  could  to  avoid  the 
smoke.  We  feared  all  the  while  that  the  hanging  moss,  or 
even  the  tree  itself,  might  catch  fire,  and  force  us  to  leap 
into  the  midst  of  our  enemies.  Fortunately,  however,  we 
had  clean  stripped  those  branches  that  hung  directly  over 
the  blazing  heap ;  and  as  yet  the  flames  did  not  mount  high 
enough  to  reach  the  others. 

'*  When  we  had  crawled  beyond  the  blinding  smoke  we 
could  distinguish  the  peccaries,  standing  in  a  thick  mass  at 
some  distance  from  the  tree,  and  evidently  somewhat  terrified 
by  the  fire.  *  Now,'  thought  I,  '  we  shall  be  delivered  from 
them.  They  will  go  off  far  enough  to  enable  us  to  escape 
through  the  smoke ; '  and  with  this  intention,  I  commenced 
reconnoitring  the  ground  in  the  direction  in  which  the  thick 
clouds  were  carried  by  the  wind.  I  concluded  that  none  of 
the  animals  had  gone  in  this  direction  ;  and  I  saw  that,  if 
we  could  leap  down  without  being  seen,  we  might  make  off 
through  the  trees.  We  were  about  descending  upon  a  lower 
ii'ub  to  carry  out  this  purpose,  when  a  sound,  like  the  dis- 
tant yelping  of  dogs,  broke  upon  our  ears.     It  filled  us  at 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  269 

once  with  a  terrible  foreboding.  We  knew  that  it  must  be 
oui  own  dogs ;  and  we  knew  that  Harry  or  Cudjo,  or  perhaps 
both,  would  be  coming  close  upon  their  heels.  I  knew 
that  the  dogs  would  soon  be  killed  by  the  herd ;  and  then 
poor  Harry — he  would  be  at  once  torn  to  pieces.  This  was 
a  fearful  thought,  and  Frank  and  I  paused  a  moment,  with 
palpitating  hearts,  to  listen.  Yes,  it  was  the  dogs.  We 
could  hear  them  yelping  and  barking  at  intervals,  and 
evidently  coming  nearer.  The  next  moment  we  could  plainly 
distinguish  voices,  as  of  people  following  upon  the  track  of 
the  dogs.  The  voices  could  be  no  other  than  those  of 
Harry  and  Cudjo  coming  in  search  of  us.  I  was  irresolute 
how  to  act.  Should  I  allow  them  to  come  on,  and,  while 
the  dogs  might  keep  the  peccaries  engaged  for  a  moment, 
shout  out  and  warn  them  to  take  to  the  trees  ?  It  then  oc- 
curred to  me  that  I  might  leave  Frank  where  he  was,  and, 
by  making  a  sudden  rush  through  the  smoke,  get  nearer  to 
Harry  and  Cudjo,  and  give  them  warning  before  the  pec- 
caries could  get  up.  Fortunately,  their  voices  sounded  in 
the  right  direction,  and  I  might  reach  them  without  being 
pursued  at  all. 

"  I  did  not  hesitate  a  moment  after  forming  this  resolve ; 
but,  handing  my  empty  rifle  to  Frank,  and  drawing  my  knife, 
I  dropped  down  among  the  smoking  heaps  of  half-burnt 
moss.  I  ran  off  the  moment  my  feet  touched  the  ground  j 
and  after  going  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards  or  so,  I  came 
in  sight  of  the  dogs,  and  the  next  moment,  of  Harry  and 
Cudjo.  But  at  the  same  instant,  on  glancing  back,  I  saw 
the  whole  herd  of  the  peccaries  rushing  after  me  with  shrill 
cries.  I  had  barely  time  to  shout  to  Harry  and  Cudjo,  and 
swing  myself  up  to  a  branch,  when  the  animals  were  around 
me.  The  others,  seeing  me  climb,  and  also  perceiving  the 
cause,  ran  to  a  tree  and  the  next  moment  I  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  seeing  both  of  them  mount  into  its  branches. 
The  dogs,  on  the  contrary,  ran  forward  to  meet  the  herd 
and  give  them  battle.  This  did  not  last  long,  for  as  soon 
as  they  had  encountered  the   sharp   teeth   of  the  peccaries, 


290  THE   DESERT    HOME. 

they  ran  howling  back  to  the  tree  where  Harry  an  J  Cud  jo 
had  taken  shelter.  Fortunately  for  the  dogs,  poor  brutes  I 
there  were  some  low  branches,  to  which  by  the  help  of  Cudjo 
th?"  were  able  to  spring  up.  Had  it  not  been  so,  they 
would  soon  have  suffered  the  fate  of  the  cougar ;  for  the 
P'jccaries,  fiercely  enraged  in  their  short  encounter  with  them, 
pursued  them  hotly^  and  surrounded  the  tree  into  which  they 
had  been  lucky  enough  to  climb. 

"  I  was  now  left  to  myself.  From  the  position  I  occupied, 
I  could  not  see  Harry,  Cudjo,  or  the  mastiffs,  but  I  could 
see  the  black  herd  that  was  around  them.  I  could  hear  all 
all  that  passed — the  howling  of  the  dogs — the  voices  of 
Harry  and  Cudjo — the  vengeful  notes  of  the  peccaries,  all 
ringing  together  in  a  wild  concert.  Then  I  heard  the  crack 
of  the  little  rifle,  and  I  saw  one  of  the  animals  tumble  over 
upon  the  ground.  I  heard  the  shouts  of  Cudjo,  and  I 
could  see  the  blade  of  his  long  spear  lunging  down  at  in- 
tervals among  the  dark  bodies  below.  I  could  see  that  it 
streamed  with  blood,  and  that  numbers  of  the  animals  were 
falling  to  the  earth.  Again  came  the  crack  of  Harry's  rifle, 
again  the  loud  barking  of  the  dogs,  and  again  the  shouts  of 
Cudjo,  as  he  stood  upon  the  lowermost  branches  and  plied 
his  terrible  weapon.  And  thus,  for  some  minutes,  raged  the 
battle,  until  I  could  see  the  ground  fairly  strewed  with  black 
and  bleeding  forms.  Only  a  fev/  of  the  peccaries  remained 
upon  their  feet ;  and  these,  at  length  becoming  alarmed  by 
the  fearful  slaughter  of  their  companions,  turned  away  from 
the  tree,  and  fled  into  the  thick  underwood.  It  was  plain 
that  they  were  defeated,  and  would  not  again  molest  us ; 
and  feeling  confident  of  this,  we  all  descended  from  our 
trees,  and  made  our  way  to  the  house  as  quickly  as  we  could, 
so  as  to  relieve  the  anxiety  of  my  wife. 

"  Although  we  often  afterwards  met  a  few  of  the  peccaries 
in  our  hunting  excursions,  and  had  the  fortune  to  capture 
some  of  their  young,  they  never,  from  that  time,  offered  to 
attack  us,  but  always  endeavored  to  escape.  It  is  the  natur6 
of  this  animal  to  fight  bravely  with  an  enemy  until  cj»;. 


TH2.  DESERT   HOME.  27I 

I  'lered,  when  it  will  always  afterwards  run  at  his  approach. 
In  fact,  there  appeared  to  be  but  one  herd  of  them  in  the 
valley ;  and  as  that  had  been  nearly  destroyed,  we  found 
them,  in  future,  both  scarce  and  shy. 

"  Next  day,  we  returned,  well  armed,  for  our  opossum  and 
her  young,  which,  in  our  hurry,  we  had  quite  forgotten. 
We  found,  to  our  mortification,  that  the  cunning  animal  had 
;gflawed  off  her  fastenings  and  escaped,  with  her  whole  brood." 


a/d  TH£  D£S£RT   HOME. 


CHAPTER  XLIL 

AN   ADVENTURE   WITH    DUSKY   WOLVfiST 

'*  During  that  year,  we  raised  two  crops  of  corn.  Neithei 
one  of  them  required  as  much  as  two  months  to  bring  it  tG 
maturity.  When  we  gathered  our  fall  crop,  we  found  thai 
we  had  twenty  times  the  full  of  our  cart — enough  to  do  uij 
for  a  whok  year,  as  well  as  to  feed  our  animals  in  the 
winter. 

"  Our  second  year  was  spent  pretty  much  as  tne  (i  st. 
We  mad^.  our  sugar  in  the  spring,  ar.d  planted  a  large 
quantity  of  corn.  We  added  to  our  stocK  of  pets  both  deer 
and  antf;lope ;  and,  among  other  animals,  we  caught  an  old 
she-wolf,  with  a  large  brood  of  wolf  puppies  at  her  heels.  I 
need  hardly  tell  you  that  we  were  constrained  to  kill  the  old 
one,  01  account  of  her  savage  disposition  ;  but  the  young 
ones  we  kept  and  reared.  They  grew  up  quite  as  tame  as 
our  own  dogs,  with  whom  they  fraternized  as  if  they  had 
been  of  the  same  species. 

"  During  the  summer  and  winter,  we  had  seve'%  al  adven- 
tures in  the  trapping  and  killing  of  wild  animalb ;  but  one 
of  these  <idventures  was  of  such  a  singular  and  dangerous 
character,  that  you  may  feel  interested  in  its  narration. 

"  It  occurred  in  the  dead  of  winter,  M'hen  there  was  snow 
upon  the  ground ;  and,  in  fact,  it  was  the  severest  winter  we 
experienced  during  our  sojourn  in  the  valley. 

"  The  lake  w^as  frozen  over,  and  the  ice  was  as  smooth 
as  glass.  Of  course,  we  spent  much  of  our  time  in  skating 
about  over  its  surface,  as  it  gave  us  health  and  a  good  ap- 
j)etite.  Even  Cudjo  had  taken  a  fancy  for  this  amusement, 
and  was  also   one   of  the   skaters.     i*"rank  was   fonder   ot  ic 


THE   DESERT    HOME.  273 

ihan  any  of  us,  and  was,  in  fact,  the  best  skater  in  our  com- 
munity. 

"  One  day,  however,  neither  Cudjo  nor  I  had  gone  out, 
but  only  Frank  and  Harry.  The  rest  of  us  were  busy  at 
some  carpenter  work  within  dcors.  We  could  hear  the  merry 
laugh  of  the  boys,  and  the  ring  of  their  skates,  as  they 
scoured  over  the  smooth  ice.  All  at  once,  a  cry  reached 
our  ears,  which  we  knew  betokened  the  presence  of  some 
danger. 

•' '  O  Robert !  '  ejaculated  my  wife,  '  they  have  broken 
through  the  ice  ! ' 

"  We  all  dropped  what  we  held  in  our  hands,  and  rushed 
for  the  door.  I  seized  a  rope  as  I  ran ;  while  Cudjo  laid 
hold  of  his  long  spear,  thinking  that  that  might  best  help  us. 
This  was  the  work  of  a  moment,  and  the  next  we  were  out- 
side the  house.  What  was  our  astonishment  to  see  both  the 
boys,  away  at  the  farthest  end  of  the  lake,  still  upon  their 
feet,  but  skating  towards  us  as  fast  as  they  could  drive  ! 
At  the  same  time,  our  eyes  rested  upon  a  terrible  object. 
Close  behind  them  upon  the  ice,  and  following  at  full  gallop, 
was  a  pack  of  wolves  !  They  were  not  the  small  prairie 
wolves, — which  either  of  the  boys  might  have  chased  with  a 
stick, — but  of  a  species  known  as  the  '  great  dusky  wolf  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  There  were  six  of  them  all.  Each 
of  them  was  twice  the  size  of  the  prairie  wolf,  and  their  long, 
dark  bodies,  gaunt  with  hunger,  and  crested  from  head  to 
tail  with  a  high,  bristling  mane,  gave  them  a  most  fearful 
appearance.  They  ran  with  their  ears  set  back,  and  their 
jaws  apart,  so  that  we  could  see  the  red  tongues  and  white 
teeth. 

"  We  did  not  halt  a  moment,  but  rushed  onward  for  the 
lake.  I  flung  down  the  rope,  and  seized  hold  of  a  large  rail 
as  I  ran,  while  Cudjo  hurried  forward,  brandishing  his  spear. 
Mary,  with  presence  of  mind,  turned  back  into  the  house 
for  my  rifle. 

"  I  saw  that  Harry  was  foremost,  and  that  the  fierce  pur- 
suers were  fast  closing  upon  Frank.     This  was  strange,  for 


274  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

we  knew  that  Frank  was  by  far  the  best  skater.  We  all 
called  out  to  him,  uttering  confused  shouts  of  encomragement 
Both  were  bearing  themselves  manfully,  but  Fraiik  was  most 
in  danger.  The  wolves  were  upon  his  heels !  '  O  God  1 
they  will  devour  him  ! '  I  cried  in  my  agony,  expecting  the 
next  moment  to  see  him  torn  down  upon  the  ice.  What 
was  my  joy  at  seeing  him  suddenly  wheel,  and  dart  off  in  a 
new  direction,  with  a  shout  of  triumph !  The  wolves,  thus 
^jimbly  eluded,  now  kept  after  Harry — who,  in  turn,  became 
the  object  of  our  anxiety.  In  a  moment,  they  were  upon 
him  ;  but  he,  already  warned  by  his  brother,  wheeled  in  a 
similar  manner ;  while  the  fierce  brutes,  carried  along  by 
the  impetus  of  their  race,  swept  to  a  considerable  distance 
upon  the  ice  before  they  could  turn  themselves.  Their  long, 
bushy  tails,  however,  soon  enabled  them  to  veer  round  in 
the  new  direction,  and  they  galloped  after  Harry,  who  was 
now  the  nearest  to  them.  Frank,  in  the  mean  time,  had 
again  turned,  and  came  sweeping  past  behind  them,  uttering 
loud  shouts,  as  if  to  tempt  them  from  their  pursuit  of  Flarry. 
They  heeded  him  not,  and  again  he  changed  his  direction, 
and  as  though  he  was  about  to  skate  into  their  midst,  fol- 
lowed the  wolves.  This  time  he  shaved  up  close  behind 
them,  just  at  the  moment  Harry  had  made  his  second  angle 
and  escaped. 

"  At  this  juncture,  we  heard  Frank  calling  out  to  his 
brother  to  make  for  the  shore ;  while,  instead  of  retreating, 
he  poised  himself  upon  his  skates  until  Harry  had  passed, 
and  then  dashed  off,  followed  by  the  whole  pack.  Another 
slight  turn  brought  him  nearly  in  our  direction  ;  but  there 
was  a  large  hole  broken  through  the  ice  close  by  the  shore, 
and  we  saw  that,  unless  he  turned  again,  he  would  skate 
into  it !  We  thought  he  was  watching  the  wolves  too  intent- 
ly to  see  it,  and  we  shouted  to  warn  him.  Not  so  ;  he  knew 
better  than  we  what  he  was  about.  When  he  had  reached 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  hole,  he  wheeled  sharply  to  the  left, 
and  came  dashing  up  to  the  point  where  we  stood  to  receive 
him.     The  wolves,  following  in  a  close  clump,  and  too  intent 


IHK    DKSJikl'    HOME.  275 

upon  their  cliase  to  see  anything  else,  went  sweeping  past 
the  angle,  and  the  next  moment  i)hinged  into  the  broken  ice! 
Cudjo  and  I  ran  shouting  forward^  and  with  the  heavy  rail 
and  long  spear  commenced  dealing  death  amongst  them.  It 
was  but  a  short,  though  exciting  scene.  Five  of  them  were 
speared  and  drowned  ;  while  the  sixth  succeeiled  in  crawling 
out  upon  the  ice,  and  was  making  off,  frightened  enou<yh  at 
die  cold  ducking  he  had  got.  I  thought  he  was  going  to 
escape  us,  but  at  that  moment  I  heard  the  crack  of  a  rifie 
from  behind,  and  the  wolf  tumbled  over,  howling  like  a  shot 
hound.  On  turning  around  I  saw  Harry  with  my  rifle, 
which  Mary  had  brought  down  during  the  encounter,  and 
which  she  had  intrusted  to  Harry,  as  a  better  marksman 
than  herself.  The  w^olf  was  still  only  wounded,  kicking 
furiously  about  upon  the  ice ;  but  Cudjo  now  ran  out,  and, 
after  a  short  struggle,  finished  the  business  with  his  spear. 
"  That  was  a  day  of  great  excitement  in  our  little  com- 
munity. Frank,  who  was  the  hero  of  the  day,  although  he 
said  nothing,  was  not  a  little  proud  of  his  skating  feat.  And 
well  might  he,  as,  but  for  his  maneuvers,  poor  Harry  would 
undoubtedly  have  fallen  a  prey  to  the  fierce  wolves." 


«76  THE   DESERT    HOME, 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

TAMING  THE  GREA.T  ELK. 

**  On  the  third  year,  our  beavers  had  increased  to  such 
numbers,  that  we  saw  it  was  time  to  thin  them  off,  and  com- 
menced laying  up  our  store  of  furs.  They  had  grown  sc 
tame,  that  they  would  take  food  from  our  hands.  We  had 
no  difficulty,  therefore,  in  capturing  those  we  intended  to 
kill,  without  giving  alarm  to  the  others.  For  this  purpose 
we  constructed  a  sort  of  pen,  or  by-pool,  with  raised  mud 
banks,  near  the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  a  sluice  gate  leading 
into  it.  Here  we  were  accustomed  to  feed  the  animals  ;  and 
whenever  a  quantity  of  roots  of  the  swamp  sassafras  was 
thrown  into  the  pool,  a  large  number  of  the  beavers  crowded 
into  it,  so  that  we  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  shut  down  the 
sluice  gate,  and  catch  them  at  our  leisure.  We  accomplished 
all  this  very  quietly :  and  as  none  that  we  trapped  were  ever 
allowed  to  go  back  and  '  tell  the  tale,'  and  as  at  all  other 
seasons  the  trap  was  open  and  free,  of  course,  the  surviving 
beavers,  with  all  their  sagacity,  never  knew  what  became 
of  their  companions,  and  did  not  even  appear  to  suspect  us 
of  foul  play,  but  remained  tame  as  ever. 

"In  our  first  crop  of  skins,  we  laid  by  at  least  450/.  worth, 
with  more  than  50/.  worth  of  "  castoreum."  In  our  second 
year,  we  were  enabled  to  do  till  better  ;  and  the  produce 
of  that  season  we  estimate  at  1000/.  Wanting  a  place 
to  dry  and  store  our  furs,  we  built  a  new  log  cabin, 
which  is  the  one  we  are  now  living  in.  The  old  one  be- 
came our  storehouse. 

"  The  third  year  of  our  trapping  was  quite  as  productive 
as  the  second ;  and  so  with  the  fourth  and  fifth.  Each  of 
them  yielded  at  least  1 000/.  worth  of  furs  and  '  castoreum ;  ' 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  2// 

SO  that  our  old  cabin  now  contains  4500/.  of  property, 
which  we  have  taken  care  to  keep  in  good  condition.  Be- 
sides, we  estimate  our  Hve  stock  in  the  dam,  which  we  can 
trap  at  any  time,  at  2500/.  more  ;  so  that,  you  see,  we  are 
worth  in  all  7000/.  at  this  moment.  Do  you  not  think,  my 
friends,  that  we  have  realized  the  prediction  of  my  wife,  and 
7nade  a  fortune  in  the  desert  ? 

"  As  soon  as  we  began  to  collect  these  valuable  furs,  a  new 
train  of  thougiit  was  suggested  to  us — when  and  how  we 
should  bring  them  to  a  market. 

"  Here  was  a  grand  difficulty  that  stared  us  in  the  face. 
Without  a  market  in  which  to  dispose  of  them,  our  furs 
would  be  of  no  more  use  to  us  than  a  bag  of  gold  would  be 
to  a  man  dying  with  hunger  in  the  middle  of  a  desert. 
Although  surrounded  with  plenty  for  all  our  wants  and  neces- 
sities, we  were  still,  in  a  manner,  imprisoned  in  our  little 
valley  oasis.  We  could  no  more  leave  it  than  the  castaway 
sailor  could  leave  his  desert  island.  With  all  the  animals 
that  were  subject  to  us,  none  of  them  were  beasts  of  burden 
or  drauglit — that  is,  except  Pompo.  He  was  old  at  the 
time  that  these  reflections  first  occurred  to  us ;  and  when 
we  should  be  ready  to  leave  our  valley  in  a  few  years  more, 
poor  Pompo  would  be  still  older  ;  in  fact,  barely  able  to  carry 
himself,  let  alone  a  whole  family  of  people,  with  several 
thousand  beaver  skins  to  boot. 

*'  Although  quite  happy  where  we  were, — for  we  were 
always  too  much  occupied  to  be  otherwise, — these  thoughts 
would  intrude  upon  us  every  now  and  then,  and  they  gave 
us  a  good  deal  of  anxiety. 

"  As  for  Mary  and  myself,  I  believe  we  should  have  been 
contented  to  remain  where  we  were,  and  lay  our  bones  in 
this  lovely  but  lonely  spot.  But  we  had  others  to  think  of 
— our  children.  To  them  we  had  a  duty  to  perform — the 
duty  of  their  education.  We  could  not  think  of  bringing 
them  up  ignorant  of  the  world,  and  leaving  them  to  such  a 
wild  and  wayward  fate  as  would  be  theirs.  These  reflections, 
I  have  said,  at  times  pressed  heavily  upon  us. 


278  THE    DESERT    HOME. 

"  I  proposed  to  my  wife  that  I  should  take  Pompo,  and 
endeavor  to  penetrate  the  settlements  of  New  Mexico — 
where  I  could  obtain  either  mules,  horses,  or  oxen.  The^e 
I  should  bring  back  to  our  valley,  and  keep  them  until  we 
required  them  for  carrying  us  out  of  the  desert.  Mary 
would  not  listen  to  this  proposal.  She  would  not  consent 
that  we  should  be  separated.  '  We  might  never,'  said  she. 
*see  each  other  again.'     She  would  not  allow  me  to  go. 

"  Indeed,  when  I  reflected  seriously  on  this  matter,  I  sav/ 
that  it  would  have  been  useless  for  me  to  make  the  attempt. 
Even  could  I  have  crossed  the  desert  in  safety,  where  was 
the  money  wherewith  to  purchase  these  animals  ?  I  had  not 
enough  to  buy  either  ox  or  ass.  The  people  of  New  Mexico 
would  have  laughed  at  me. 

"  '  Let  us  be  patient,'  advised  my  wife.  '  We  are  happy 
where  we  are.  When  the  time  arrives,  and  we  are  ready  to 
go  forth,  trust  that  the  hand  which  brought  us  here  can  and 
«//// guide  us  safely  back  again.' 

"  With  such  words  of  consolation  my  noble  wife  always 
Winded  our  conversation  on  that  subject. 

"  I  looked  upon  her  words  as  almost  prophetic ;  and  so 
they  proved  in  this  case,  as  on  many  other  occasions. 

"  One  day — it  was  about  the  fourth  year  of  our  sojourn  in 
the  valley — we  were  talking  on  this  very  theme  ;  and  Mary, 
-as  usual,  had  just  expressed  her  firm  reliance  upon  the  hand 
of  Providence  to  deliver  us  from  our  strange  captivity,  when 
our  conversation  was  interrupted  by  Harry,  who  came  run- 
ning into  the  house,  breathless  with  haste,  and  with  looks  fuL- 
of  triumph. 

"  *  Papa  I  mamma  1 '  cried  he ;  *  two  elks — two  young 
elks — taken  in  the  trap  !  Cudjo  is  bringing  them  on  in 
the  cart ;  two  beautiful  young  elks,  about  as  big  as  year-old 
calves.' 

"  There  was  nothing  very  new  or  strange  in  this  announce% 
ment.  We  had  captured  elk  in  the  pitfall  before  ;  and  we 
had  several  of  them  in  our  park — old  ones.  It  was  the 
fact  of  their  being  '  young  elk'-::^a  sort  we  had  not  yet  taken 


THE  DESERT  HOME.  279 

— which  had  put  Harry  into  an  unusual  state  of  excite- 
ment. 

"  I  thought  nothing  of  it  at  the  moment,  but  went  out 
along  with  Mary  and  the  children  to  have  a  look  at  our  new 
pets. 

"  While  Cud  jo  and  the  boys  were  engaged  in  putting  them 
into  the  park,  all  at  once  I  remembered  what  I  had  read  of, 
but  which  had  hitherto  escaped  my  memory — that  the  great 
American  elk  is  capable  of  being  trained  as  a  beast  either  of 
draught  or  burden. 

"  I  need  hardly  tell  you,  my  friends,  that  this  thought  at 
once  led  to  a  series  of  reflections.  Could  these  elk  be 
trained  to  draw  a  wagon — to  draw  us  out  of  the  desert  ? 

"  I  lost  no  time  in  communicating  my  thoughts  to  my  wife. 
She,  too,  had  read  of  this  ;  in  fact,  in  a  London  menagerie, 
had  seen  the  elk  in  harness.  The  thing,  therefore,  was 
practicable.  We  resolved  to  use  every  effort  to  make  it 
so. 

"  Let  me  not  weary  you,  my  friends,  A'ith  details.  We  set 
to  work  to  train  our  young  elk.  No  man  knew  better  than 
Cudjo  how  to  break  a  pair  of  oxen  to  either  plow  or  cart ; 
and  when  the  elk  had  grown  big,  Cudjo  yoked  them  to  the 
plow,  and  turned  up  several  acres  ef  ground  with  them. 
During  the  winter,  too,  many  a  good  load  of  dead  wood  did 
Cudjo  make  them  haul  up  to  the  word  pile  that  supplied  our 
fire.  In  short,  they  worked,  both  in  the  plow  and  cait,  as 
gently  as  oxen." 


9&Q  THE   DESERT    HOMJt, 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

CATCHING  THE  WILD  HORSES. 

•*We  had  accomplished  a  great  object.  Nothing  re^ 
mained  but  to  train  a  sufficient  number  of  elk  for  our  pur- 
pose. We  trapped  several  fawns,  and  Cudjo  proceeded  in 
breaking  them  as  he  had  done  the  others. 

"  At  this  time,  however,  an  event  occurred  which  verified 
my  wife's  prediction  still  more  clearly,  and  proved  that  the 
hand  of  God  was  over  and  around  us. 

"  One  morning,  a  little  after  daybreak,  and  just  before  we 
had  risen,  we  were  all  thrown  into  a  state  of  consternation 
by  a  noise  that  came  from  without.  It  was  the  rampling  of 
hoofs — of  many  hoofs  ;  and  there  was  no  difficulty  in  per- 
ceiving that  horses  were  about  the  house.  Their  neighing 
proved  this ;  for  Pompo  had  neighed  in  his  stable,  and  we 
could  hear  a  dozen  of  them  uttering  their  loud  responses. 

"  '  Indians ! '  thought  we  ;  and  we  gave  ourselves  up  for 
Jost, 

"  We  all  ran  to  our  arms.  Harry,  Frank,  and  I  seized 
hold  of  our  rifles,  while  Cudjo  betook  himself  to  his  great 
spear.  I  opened  one  of  the  windows,  and  looked  cautiously 
cut.  Horses  they  were,  sure  enough,  but  no  horsemen. 
There  they  were, — in  all  nearly  a  dozen  of  them, — white, 
black,  red,  speckled  and  spotted  like  hounds.  They  were 
dashing  about  through  the  open  ground,  neighing,  snorting, 
rearing  at  each  other,  and  tossing  back  their  long,  flowing 
manes,  while  their  tails  swept  away  behind  them  in  beautiful 
luxuriance.  There  were  they,  without  bridle  or  saddle,  or 
any  other  sign  that  the  hand  of  man  had  ever  touched  them. 
And  never  had  it.  I  saw  at  a  glance  what  they  were.  They 
were  mustangs — the  wild  Ji^ses  of  the  desert. 


THE   DESERT   HOME.  28 1 

A  3  were  not  long  in  resolving  how  to  act.  It  war* 
evident  they  had  come  up  the  stream  from  the  eastern  plains; 
and,  seeing  the  valley,  had  been  tempted  by  its  greenness, 
and  had  strayed  into  it.  Our  design,  then,  was  at  once 
formed,  and  that  was  to  prevent  them  from  getting  out 
again. 

"This  could  be  accomplished  very  easily,  by  closing  up 
the  road  which  led  down  to  the  valley ;  but  how  were  we  to 
get  to  it  without  giving  them  the  alarm  ?  They  were  play- 
ing directly  in  front  of  the  house,  and  we  could  not  pass  out 
of  the  door  without  showing  ourselves.  This  would  at  once 
set  them  off  in  a  wild  gallop,  and  we  should  never  see  more 
of  them.  We  knew  they  would  not  allow  us  to  approach 
them — for  we  had  seen  several  bands  of  them  while  crossing 
the  prairies,  and  those  would  not  allow  our  hunters  to  ge<; 
within  less  than  a  mile  of  them.  This  is  a  curious  fact- — 
that  the  horse,  which  you  would  suppose  to  be  the  natural 
companion  of  man,  once  he  has  escaped  from  captivity,  and 
goes  wild,  becomes  more  shy  of  man  than  any  other  animal, 
and  more  difficult  to  be  approached.  He  seems  to  have  an 
idea  of  what  is  wanted  with  him,  and  is  determined  not  to 
return  to  slavery.  I  had  never  seen  a  drove  of  wild  horses  ; 
but  the  thought  occurred  to  me,  that  there  was  some  old 
*  runaM^ay '  among  them,  who  told  the  rest  how  he  had  been 
used,  and  cautioned  them  to  keep  clear  of  us.  Certain  it 
is,  that  the  wild  horse  is  the  wildest  of  all  animals. 

"  How,  then,  were  we  to  get  out,  and  circumvent  the  drove  ? 
That  was  soon  decided.  Telling  Cudjo  to  bring  his  ax  and 
follow  Me,  I  climbed  out  at  the  back  window  of  our  cabin  ; 
and  keeping  the  house  between  us  and  the  horses,  we  crept 
along  past  our  storehouse  and  stable,  and  got  into  the  wocds 
in  the  rear.  We  skirted  through  the  woods,  and  soon  reached 
the  point  where  the  road  runs  out  of  the  valley.  Here  Cudjo 
set  lustily  to  work  with  his  ax ;  and  in  half  an  hour  w^^  had 
f  jUed  a  tree  across  the  track,  completely  blocking  it  up  vVe 
took  care  to  make  it  secure,  by  adding  several  rails,  in  such 
a  way  that  no  horse  without  wings  could  get  over  it     This 


48a  THE    DESERr  HOME. 

done,  we  gave  ourselves  no  further  concern  about  being  seen 
by  the  mustangs ;  and,  shouldering  our  implements,  we 
marched  back  to  the  house.  Of  course,  the  moment  the 
i\^ild  horses  saw  us,  they  galloped  off  into  the  woods  ;  but 
we  did  not  care  for  that,  as  we  could  easily  find  them  again. 
And  find  them  we  did.  Pompo  was  saddled  and  bridled  ;  a 
lasso  was  made  out  of  rawhide  ropes ;  and  in  less  than  three 
days  the  whole  caba'Jada  of  wild  horses — eleven  in  all — was 
shut  up  in  our  park. 

"  Now,  my  friends,  I  fear  I  have  quite  tired  you  with  our 
adventures.  I  might  relate  many  more,  and  perhaps  at  some 
future  time  may  do  so.  I  might  tell  you  how  we  caught  and 
tamed  the  wild  sheep  and  the  antelopes  ;  how  we  captured 
the  young  buffaloes  on  the  upper  plains,  and  tamed  them, 
and  made  cheese  and  butter  from  their  milk;  how  we 
reared  up  the  kittens  of  the  cougar  and  the  cubs  of  the  black 
bear ;  how  the  wild  geese,  and  swans,  and  cranes,  and 
pelicans  migrated  to  our  lake,  and  became  quite  tame  with 
us  ;  how  Cudjo  and  I,  with  our  horses,  made  a  journey  across 
the  desert  to  the  *  Camp  of  Sorrow,'  as  we  called  the  place 
where  our  friends  had  been  massacred ;  how  we  picked  out 
two  of  the  best  of  the  wagons,  and  with  the  gunpowder  which 
we  took  from  the  bombshells,  and  many  other  useful  articles, 
returned  again  to  our  valley.  These,  and  many  other  ad' 
ventures  with  wolves  and  wolverines,  with  panthers  and  pec- 
caries, and  porcupines  and  opossums,  I  might  detail  to  you ; 
but  no  doubt  you  are  already  wearied  with  the  length  of  my 
story. 

*'  It  is  now  nearly  ten  years  since  our  arrival  in  this  valley 
oasis.  During  all  that  time,  we  have  lived  contented  and 
happy ;  and  God  has  favored  our  efforts,  and  crowned  them 
with  success.  But  our  children  have  grown  up  almost  wild, 
as  you  see — with  no  other  education  than  that  which  we  our- 
selves have  been  able  to  impart  to  them ;  and  we  are  anx- 
ious, on  their  account,  once  more  to  return  to  the  civilized 
world.  It  is  our  intention,  then,  to  proceed  to  St.  Louis  in 
the  spring.     For  this  purpose,  we  have  everything  ready, — 


THE    DESERT    HOME.  2'53 

our  v/agons,  and  horses,  and  furs, — all  except  those  which 
we  intend  to  trap  in  the  ensuing  winter.  I  know  not  whether 
we  may  ever  return  to  this  sweet  spot — which  will  be  always 
dear  to  us  from  a  thousand  memories.  That  will  depend 
upon  circumstances  arising  in  the  future,  and  which  we 
cannot  now  foresee.  It  is  our  intention,  however,  on  leav- 
ing the  valley,  to  throw  open  their  bars,  and  set  all  our 
captives  free — to  let  them  return  once  more  to  their  wild 
independence. 

"  And  now,  my  friends,  I  have  but  one  request  to  make  of 
you.  It  is  late  in  the  season.  You  have  lost  your  trail; 
and,  as  you  all  know,  it  is  very  perilous  to  attempt  crossing 
praires  in  winter.  Remain  with  me,  then,  until  spring,  and 
let  us  all  go  together.  The  winter  will  be  a  short  one  ;  and 
I  shall  endeavor  to  make  it  pass  pleasantly  for  you.  I  can 
promise  you  plenty  of  hunting  adventures  ;  and,  when  the 
proper  season  arrives,  we  shall  have  a  grand  battue  of  the 
beavers.     Speak,  then  !     What  say  you  to  remain  ?  " 

I  need  hardly  tell  you,  my  young  reader,  that  we  at  once 
accepted  the  proposal.  Our  friend  M'Knight  would  of 
course  remain,  on  account  of  the  little  Luisa ;  and  as  for  the 
rest  of  us,  Ave  knew^  well  the  hardships  we  should  have  to 
encounter,  should  w^e  travel  the  great  plains  during  winter. 
We  knew  that  in  that  latitude,  as  Rolfe  had  said,  the  winter 
w^ould  be  a  short  one ;  and  therefore  we  should  not  lose 
much  time  by  staying  until  spring.  The  strange  wdld  life 
which  we  should  lead  had  charms  for  all  of  us  ;  and  we 
willingly  consented  to  remain. 

As  Rolfe  promised,  we  had  many  hunting  adventures ; 
and  among  the  rest  the  battue  of  beavers — nearly  two  thou- 
sand of  which  were  trapped  and  taken. 

As  soon  as  spring  arrived,  we  made  ready  to  set  forth. 
Three  wagons  were  prepared — two  of  them  loaded  with  furs 
and  valuable  castoreum.  The  third  carried  the  females — 
while  Rolfe  and  his  sons  rode  upon  horseback.  The  walls 
of  the  deer  park  were  broken  down,  and  the  aviaries  thrown 
open ;  and  after  distributing  plenty  of  food  to  the  numerous 


284  THE   DESERT   HOME. 

pets,  we  left  them  to  themselves,  and  took  our  departure 
from  the  valley.  We  struck  northward  for  the  old  trail,  and 
on  reaching  it  turned  our  faces  for  St.  Louis — where  we  ar- 
rived in  the  month  of  May,  and  where  Rolfe  soon  after  sold 
his  furs  for  a  large  sum  of  money. 


It  is  now  several  years  since  that  time ;  and  during  the 
interval,  I, — the  writer  of  this  little  book, — living  in  a  dis- 
tant country,  heard  nothing  more  about  Rolfe  or  his  family. 
A  few  days  ago,  however,  I  received  a  letter  from  Rolfe 
himself,  which  gave  me  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  they 
were  all  well,  and  in  excellent  spirits.  Frank  and  Harry 
had  just  finished  their  college  studies,  and  had  come  out 
accomplished  scholars  and  sterling  men.  Mar}'  and  Luisa 
■ — Luisa  was  still  one  of  the  family — had  returned  from 
school.  Besides  this,  Rolfe's  letter  contained  some  very 
interesting  intelligence.  No  less  than  four  marriages  were 
in  contemplation  in  his  family.  Harry  was  about  to  wed 
the  little  "  dark  sister,"  Luisa.  Frank  had  come  to  an  un- 
derstanding with  a  fine  young  lady,  the  daughter  of  a  Missouri 
planter;  and  the  fair-haired,  blue-eyed,  rosy-lipped  Mary 
had  enslaved  a  young  "  prairie  merchant,"  one  of  those  who 
had  spent  the  winter  with  us  in  the  valley  oasis,  and  who 
had  been  very  gallant  to  Mary  all  along  the  journey  home- 
ward. But  who  was  to  be  the  fourth  couple  ?  Ah !  that 
question  we  must  leave  for  Cudjo  and  his  "  lubbly  Lucy  ^ 
to  answer, 

Rolfe's  letter  further  informed  me  that  it  was  their  inten- 
tion— as  soon  as  the  marriage  festivities  were  over--tt> 
return  to  the  valley  oasis.  All  of  them  were  going  together 
' — M'Knight,  new-married  couples,  and  all.  They  were  to 
take  with  them  many  wagons,  with  horses  and  cattle,  and 
implements  of  husbandry — with  the  intention  of  settling 
there  for  life,  and  forming  a  little  patriarchal  colony  of 
themselves.  ,.     ,  , 


IHF.    DESERT    HOME.  285 

It  was  a  pleasant  letter  to  read  ;  and  as  I  perused  it  over 
and  over,  and  reflected  on  the  many  happy  hours  I  had 
passed  in  the  company  of  these  good  people,  I  could  not 
help  thanking  the  fat€  that  first  led  me  to  the  home  in  tht 
desk  rt 


THE  ENDi 


LOVE  LETTERS 

With  Directions  How  To  Write  Them 

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THE  CLINK  OF  THE  ICE 

And  Other  Poems  Worth  Readina 
BY  EUGENE  FIELD 

Edition  oontaiiiinfj  aiitogrraph 
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CONFESSIONS  OF  A  OON-MAN 


'By  Curt  Jeffreys 


This  is  the  humorous  and  dramatic  adventures  oi  A 
professional  sharper,  who  made  his  living  by  his  wits. 
The  deceptions  he  practiced  upon  the  guileless  and 
upon  the  well-informed  in  the  country  and  cities  of  the 
United  States,  forms  a  sparkling  story  of  how  the 
American  people  like  to  be  fooled.  Incidentally  the 
reader  can  also  learn  the  "v/ays  that  are  dark  and 
the  tricks  that  are  vain,"  as  practiced  to  obtain  money 
in  the  world  of  confidence  games  and  graft.  The  reader 
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••THE  GREATEST  BOOK  OF 
HUMOR  EVER  PUBLISHED'* 


kOMROCS 


The  Ozark  Mountains  lie  half  in  ^lissouri  and  half  in 
Arkansas,  and  the  stories  and  jokes  in  this  booli  by 
the  world-famed  humorist,  Opie 
Read,  are  the  best  ever  published 
on  this  cection  of  the  country. 
The  name  of  Opie  Read  is  synony- 
mous with  wit,  fun,  miith,  sport, 
humor,  good-fellowship — in  general 
the  best  this  line  has  to  offer,  and 
in  this  book  the  greatest  living 
humorist  and  story  teller  was  never 
more  entertaining.  A  laugh  on 
every  page,  two  laughs  in  every 
picture.  We  guarantee  138  laughs 
or  money  refunded.  Thousands  have  foimd  a  laugh  in 
every  line— 2400.    How  many  cru  you  find?    Read  and  s:* 

Taper  Co-der  in  Colors,  Trice  2Sc. 

For  sale  by  all  book  and  news  dealers  or  sent  postpaid  to  any 
address  in  the  United  States,  Canada  or  Mexico  upon  receipt  Ot 
price  in  currency,  postal  or  express  money  order. 

M.  A.  DO/fOHUB  tSi.  CO., 

4^07-4-29  "Dearborn  Sireet.  CHICAGO 


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